Sports betting and daily fantasy sports giant DraftKings will provide financial assistance for research looking at responsible sports betting.
The operator will donate money to the International Center for Responsible Gambling (ICRG), which will go towards looking at various aspects of safe gambling practices in the US.
Researchers can apply for the funding and have until September of this year to do so.
What will DraftKings’ money go towards?
The research commissioned by the ICRG will look at numerous areas, including:
- Differences between sports betting and other types of gambling;
- How responsible gambling initiatives have evolved with the growth of the industry;
- Ways that different demographics suffer from gambling-related harms.
Whoever wins the bidding will get funding for a project that will span over three years until 2024.
“Incredibly honoured”
Commenting on DraftKings’ funding, ICRG Executive Director Russell Sanna said:
“We are incredibly honored to have DraftKings’ financial support, which was instrumental in satisfying our funding needs for the Fund to Support Research on Sports Wagering.
“With the expansion of sports betting across the United States, public health research will be critical in better understanding problem gaming, and we are deeply appreciative of the support from DraftKings to fund research that is cutting-edge and can be utilized across the industry and by consumers.”
Responsible sports betting in the US
Sports betting is growing across the US significantly. But with every new state that regulates, operators and governing bodies must deal with a whole range of issues.
In the American Gaming Association (AGA)‘s most recent sports betting player behaviour survey, wagering with illegal bookmakers dropped by 25%. But despite this, offshore operators saw a 3% spend increase.
The research also found that 52% of survey participants wagered with an unregulated betting site in 2019. Of these people, 55% did so because they weren’t aware that the website wasn’t legal.
On this, the report said:
“These results highlight the need for further consumer education on how and why to bet legally. The AGA is taking action by educating bettors on responsible gaming, educating the media on the pervasive effects of legitimizing offshore operators, and maintaining a directory of licensed online and retail sportsbooks in states with legal sports betting.”
Balancing enjoyment with responsibility
DraftKings CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman Jason Robbins also spoke about the funding. His words were:
“The cornerstone of our commitment to customers is providing an enjoyable sports betting and gaming experience, and we recognize that we have a responsibility to ensure that customers are playing safely.
“We are pleased to support the critical mission of the International Center for Responsible Gaming and fund important research that will drive responsible gaming innovation and customer safety forward for the entire industry.”
