The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI) has announced the second round of annual ESPN Research Fellows.
ESPN partnered with UNLV in late 2023, signing on as the founding donor of new research leveraging the IGI’s knowledge to develop a program supporting responsible gaming policies and related education and implementation. Last year, the IGI launched the inaugural ESPN Research Fellowship initiative, recognizing educators for their responsible gambling-related projects.
UNLV noted that this year’s group of scholars have put forth proposals aimed at advancing the understanding of responsible gambling messaging in sports media and its implications for consumer well-being.
The class of 2025 consists of:
- Dr. Brandon Mastromartino, director of the Institute on Sports Wagering and Gaming and assistant professor of experiential marketing at the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. His project will evaluate two of the NFL’s responsible gambling PSAs using a fan-centered marketing framework.
- Dr. Chris R. Noland, assistant professor of advertising at the University of South Florida’s Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications. Dr. Noland will examine the influence of celebrity endorsements and promotional inducements in Instagram advertisements on online sports betting behavior.
- Dr. Ramon Silva Leite, professor in the Postgraduate Program in Management at Brazil’s Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais. Dr. Silva’s project will investigate how responsible gambling messages are constructed and delivered through sports media, and how young sports bettors perceive and respond to them.
- Dr. Sarah Stokowski, associate professor of athletic leadership at Clemson University’s Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development. Her work will investigate how college student-athletes perceive and interact with sports betting content on social media.
UNLV stated that the projects will provide important insights into practical strategies that can be adopted by policymakers and the gaming industry to help safeguard the well-being of gamblers and the public. Each fellowship will last six months and the research results will be featured in an IGI webinar in 2026.
“IGI is tremendously proud of the work our previous Fellowships produced,” said the institute’s Director of Research, Dr. Kasra Ghaharian, who was himself recognized with a new International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) award last year. “A key goal of this initiative is to support innovative and impactful research to better understand the rapidly changing global sports and betting environment. This research represents critical perspectives on how gambling is represented in sports media and holds important implications for all gambling stakeholders.”
ESPN VP of Corporate Citizenship Kevin Martinez added that the new projects will provide valuable insights into how responsible gaming messages can be delivered effectively across sports media.
UNLV debuts research hub and advisory board
Aside from the ESPN collaboration, the UNLV IGI continues to undertake other projects focused on research and innovation in responsible gambling.
In May, it launched AiR Hub, an initiative aimed at assessing the impacts and risks of AI in gaming, as well as encouraging collaboration between key stakeholders in the gambling industry. A State of AI in Gaming report will explore the existing and potential use of machine learning in the industry.
AiR Hub is supported by a range of stakeholders, including Action Gaming, Evoke, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, Playtech and the Responsible Online Gambling Association (ROGA) of major U.S. online gambling operators.
Meanwhile, in July, leaders from the likes of Playtech and other suppliers such as AGS, numerous leading online and omnichannel gambling operators, tribal gaming entities including California’s Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, and more formed the IGI’s first-ever advisory board.
IGI Executive Director Brett Abarbanel, Ph.D., told SBC Americas that continued gambling industry developments highlighted that the institute needed a range of insights to keep pace and continue to lead in research and progress. The board provides strategic counsel and insights and resources and helps UNLV foster connections with the industry and beyond.
“All of these different perspectives then have an opportunity to be in the same room in addition to us learning from them,” Abarbanel said at the time. “It’s a channel we’ve never had in a formal sense to access the industry perspectives we need.”
