Master's students Adrian Amezcua, Donavan Ross, and Ishan Balaji (Counselor Education, School Psychology, and Human Services) have received a $3,000 grant from the Nevada Problem Gambling Project at UNLV's International Gaming Institute for their project titled, "An Examination of Adults’ Exposure to Online Gambling and the Impact of…

Postdoctoral scholar Piyush Puranik and director of research Kasra Ghaharian (both International Gaming Institute) co-authored a recently published paper titled, "Length of continuous play sessions unrelated to problem gambling severity among regular electronic gaming machine players," in the journal International Gambling Studies. 

Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute), Benjamin Burroughs (Journalism and Media Studies), and Mark Johnson from the University of Sydney have published an article titled, "A New History of Poker Spectatorship: Table Chat, Online Forums, Television Piracy, and Twitch" in the journal International Gambling Studies. Histories of poker…

Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute) has co-authored a newly published study in the Journal of Gambling Studies titled, "Across the Bettor-Verse: An Open Banking Perspective on Gambling in the United Kingdom." Co-authored with Jay Peterson (PhD Student, Hospitality), Mana Azizsoltani (recent PhD graduate, Hospitality), and Richard…

Tiange Xu (International Gaming Institute; Hospitality), Shane Kraus (Psychology), and colleagues recently published a paper, "A longitudinal investigation of sports betting legalization’s influence on problem gambling," in the Addictive Behaviors. This study tracked 112 American sports bettors over two years using a natural experimental design,…

Ph.D. student Samantha Wells (Learning and Technology) and Director of Research Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute) presented “Is it AI? Evaluating Chatbot Responses to Problem Gambling Questions” at the 2025 International Conference on Gambling Addiction and Responsible Gambling. Their presentation highlighted key findings from two…

Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute; Hospitality) moderated a panel titled, "Game Integrity in Esports," at the International Association of Gaming Advisors annual Summit in Berlin, Germany. Joined by four experts from DACH countries, Abarbanel discussed the ways esports integrity is similar to sports integrity, and how its digital…

Director of Research Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute) recently published a new article in the International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration titled, "Identifying Risks and Ethical Considerations of AI in Gambling: A Scoping Review." The paper provides the first comprehensive review of academic literature…

Researchers at the International Gaming Institute — Ph.D. student Mana Azizsoltani (Hospitality), undergraduate student Cesar Lozoya Martinez (Hospitality), and research scientist Piyush Puranik (International Gaming Institute) — showcased their research at the prestigious GLI Regulators Roundtable 2025, held on April 17 in Las…

JMS MA graduate Alain DeSaix (Journalism and Media Studies), Benjamin Burroughs (Journalism and Media Studies), Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute), Paul Rama (Weber State) published a peer-reviewed paper titled, "Creating Value in Esports: How Branding, Marketing, and Regional Identity Propel Esports in the journal Sage Business…

Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute), director of research, was recently featured in a Business Insider article exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and the gambling industry. The article, "Fear and Coding in Las Vegas," highlights how AI is revolutionizing everything from personalized marketing and casino floor…

Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute, Hospitality) published a book chapter entitled, "Manipulation in Esports" in the "Palgrave Handbook on the Economics of Manipulation in Sport." The book examines manipulation in sport through the lens of economics, bringing light to the various ways benefits can be gained from rule and…