The NFL announced Wednesday it partnered with the International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) on a $600,000 study to examine various gambling behaviors.
The league will spend the next three years researching and helping update the ICRG’s “Talking with Children About Gambling” program as the partners try to understand gambling impacts on college athletes and students.
Key takeaways
- The Talking with Children program was designed to help parents, coaches, and teachers.
- The ICRG will use a peer-reviewed grant process to enlist researchers.
- The NFL also signed a $6.4 million deal with the National Council on Problem Gambling last year.
The NFL said it was important to gain insight into potential gamblers' behaviors during their formative years.
“We’re proud to partner with the ICRG to advance research that can drive meaningful solutions and address a critical gap in the understanding of gambling behaviors among college athletes and students,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility, Anna Isaacson. “This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to promoting responsible gambling and fostering a safe and supportive environment for athletes, fans, and communities.”
The NFL noted initial studies suggested college athletes were at an elevated risk of gambling problems. However, it also said there was a lack of evidence on how current college students interacted with online sportsbooks.
The ICRG will select independent researchers to explore a variety of avenues related to responsible gambling, including prevention, education, and policy.
The ICRG Independent Scientific Advisory Board will peer-review grant applications before eventually choosing recipients.
Committed to responsible gambling
The NFL has been proactive in addressing and handling incidents involving players. It also implemented mandatory offseason education programs for rising rookies and provides teams with resources for relevant information and assistance.
“The NFL has once again demonstrated its commitment to player and fan protection by supporting this critical research targeting young adults,” said ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky. “The NFL and ICRG together will make a meaningful contribution to understanding and implementing policies and programs that support a safer gambling environment.”
The NFL last August extended its partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling, agreeing to another three years and $6.4 million in contributions.
The league said funding served three primary goals, including bolstering the National Problem Gambling Helpline, developing and implementing the Agility Grants program to help underrepresented communities, and pushing awareness efforts like responsibleplay.org.
The league in January also teamed up with the Responsible Gambling Council to create responsible gambling training programs, launched at eight universities in Canada in the spring.
NCAA, NFL fight sports betting breakout
The NCAA has been a hotbed for gambling issues involving athletics, whether it's players manipulating game aspects, fans tempting players, or student-athletes dealing with a spike in online harassment.
An NCAA press release last year stated one in three high-profile athletes received vulgar messages from disgruntled gamblers. President Charlie Baker actively campaigned against state regulators who authorized college player prop betting to help reduce the frequency of these incidents.
The NFL also suspended several players for sports betting-related infractions over the last few years.
That list included Denver Broncos' DE Eyioma Uwazurike, Detroit Lions' WR Jameson Williams, Minnesota Vikings' CB Isaiah Rodgers Sr., then-Tennessee Titans' OT Nicholas Petit-Frere, and others.
