University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute (IGI) announced the recipients of the 2024 ESPN Research Fellowships. This year’s selection showcases a diverse group of scholars whose project proposals will be pivotal in advancing knowledge on responsible gambling messaging in sports media.

One day before ESPN BET went live in 17 states in November, UNLV announced that ESPN had donated $200,000 to the school’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) for research related to responsible sports betting. On Tuesday, UNLV and ESPN revealed whom their first fellowships had been awarded to — and for which fields of study. According to a press release, each of the fellows will deliver research on “unique facets of responsible gambling messaging in sports media” as the intersection between sports and gambling continues to evolve.

The explosion of legalized gambling has set the stage for a provocative new frontier in the world of risk-taking — betting markets for everyday events, ranging from Taylor Swift streams to hurricanes hitting major U.S. cities.

When a $1.4 billion lottery ticket was sold at a Neptune liquor store last month, the news spread across the Jersey Shore and beyond with the expected celebration that a local had won the enormous prize. But what didn’t get attention, and rarely does, was the fact that calls to the Council on Compulsive Gambling hotline sharply increased as they always do when a major jackpot is on the line.

When a $1.4 billion lottery ticket was sold at a Neptune liquor store last month, the news spread across the Jersey Shore and beyond with the expected celebration that a local had won the enormous prize. But what didn’t get attention, and rarely does, was the fact that calls to the Council on Compulsive Gambling hotline sharply increased as they always do when a major jackpot is on the line.

In March, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the organization was asking state gaming regulators nationwide to ban proposition wagering, or prop bets, on college athletes because of evidence that gamblers are harassing collegiate players, both online and at games.