On the eve of the NBA regular season and as the WNBA is set for its championship series, the leagues Tuesday put out a joint notice of a new responsible gaming initiative designed to educate fans about the “risks associated with sports betting and prediction markets.”
Both leagues partner for sports betting with DraftKings and FanDuel, both of which also offer prediction products. The NBA does not have any official prediction partners, though Front Office Sports reported in September that the league was shopping for partners and that a deal was imminent.
The 2026-27 NBA season is set to tip off next Tuesday with three games while the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries is set to begin Saturday.
The leagues are partnering with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) on the new initiative, and advertisements will run “across social and linear” league platforms and on partner channels.
“Whether placing a sports bet or trading on a prediction market, both activities can put fans at meaningful risk when not done responsibly,” the press release reads. “When participation becomes difficult to control, the impact can extend beyond finances to mental well-being and relationships with family and friends. The campaign will also emphasize that no matter how much a fan thinks they know about sports, their money is at risk, and these activities should only be for entertainment, not an effort to generate income.”
The NBA and WNBA are “platinum members” of the NCPG, meaning they contribute up to $15,000 in annual membership fees. Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the PGA Tour are also platinum members. The NHL is not listed as an NCPG member.
NY commission has its say
The New York State Gaming Commission put operators “on notice” to make good on their promise to make responsible gaming tools a ubiquitous part of the gambling experience and not something unique or only for certain consumers. NYSGC Chair Brian O’Dwyer said during a meeting last Friday that if the “industry does not address it, then we will address it, and they may not like it or the solution we come up with.”
O’Dwyer made his statements after the NYSGC unanimously advanced a proposal to add more guardrails around mobile sports betting customers. The proposed regulation would require that operators have a designated “lead” person to work with consumers who have been identified as being at risk. The designated operator representative would contact those identified as being at risk to discuss problem gambling behavior and how to treat it. The proposed rule, 5404.2, includes a definition section that includes explanations of an “at-risk patron,” an “automatic trigger” for a due diligence review, and what kinds of interventions would be required.
In comments after the vote, O’Dwyer pointed out that patrons have nine online sports betting platforms to choose from in New York, and that if a patron is banned or excluded from one, they could go to another.
“The mobile sports betting industry has long maintained that they consider integration of responsible gaming practices a significant element of their businesses,” O’Dwyer said. “I believe these proposed rules provide an opportunity to the industry to illustrate its commitment by working together to share the data necessary to make sure that this doesn’t happen, so that one person at risk cannot exhaust nine different operators.
“Fair notice to the industry that they better come up with a solution. We’re giving them that opportunity, otherwise this commission will be looking into it and coming up with the solution that will be required of them.”
The commission also unanimously moved forward a proposal that would prohibit operators and any companies associated with them from using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other automated systems that “select, customize time, deliver promotions, bonuses, odds, limits, or product recommendations for patrons.” The proposal would also ban operators from suggesting “wagers or wager types” or sending out promotions “designed to increase spending, engagement, or revenue.” AI could be used if a patron agrees or if the operator has a human “review of system output.”
UNLV study suggests high PG in Colorado
Early analysis of UNLV research shows 7% of Colorado gamblers interviewed say they potentially have an addiction issue. That number is higher than the standard of up to 4% of gamblers the NCPG identifies as having a severe gambling addiction (1%) or mild or moderate problems with gambling (2%-3%).
Five hundred Coloradans — some who gamble and some who don’t — were interviewed for the study, and of those, 17.4% said sports betting was their go-to gambling vertical. That was second to lottery (41.4%). Slots and video poker (16.2%), casino table games (11.6%), and bingo (11.4%) rounded out the top five.
Per CDC Gaming, lead researcher Shane Kraus estimated that 4% of Coloradans (about 241,200) sports bet, and of those, 7% (about 16,888) have a “serious problem.”
Kraus presented his team’s findings at the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado annual conference Oct. 7-8, and the research is funded through the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission’s Responsible Gaming Grant Program. The full study is not yet available.
One early finding suggests that problem gambling is 2% higher among women, though the researchers have yet to determine why that is.
MGC explores veteran gambling addiction
Massachusetts veterans account for 20.6% of problem gamblers despite making up 3.7% of the population, according to new research. The number is stunning, but not unusual, as the veteran population across the U.S. has a higher incidence of gambling issues than the general population. Emma Hersh of the consulting firm Technical Assent said the research her group is doing will be used to understand why veterans are more at risk and figure out how to put meaningful programs into place.
The program is funded by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) with Technical Assent in partnership with William Joiner Institute for the Study of War and Social Consequences at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Hersch shared an update with the MGC in late September.
Hersh said PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and trauma are among factors that can influence veterans’ interest in gambling. The goal of the project is to identify what affects veterans’ “financial, social, and emotional welfare.” Forty-three veterans were interviewed, and 20 were invited in for focus groups. It was critical, Hersh said, to talk directly with veterans rather than study them from a distance.
