UNLV and ESPN Expand Research on Responsible Sports Betting
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is expanding its collaboration with ESPN to study responsible gambling in sports media. Through its International Gaming Institute (IGI), UNLV has launched the second round of the ESPN Research Fellows program, which funds projects that examine how betting messages influence fans and consumers.
Four Fellows Named for 2025
For the 2025 cohort, IGI awarded fellowships to four academics:
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Dr. Brandon Mastromartino, San Diego State University. He will analyze two NFL public service announcements about responsible gambling, applying fan-centered marketing frameworks.
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Dr. Chris R. Noland, University of South Florida. His project will evaluate the impact of celebrity endorsements and promotional incentives in sports betting ads on Instagram.
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Dr. Ramon Silva Leite, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He will study how young bettors interpret and respond to responsible gambling messages shared through sports media.
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Dr. Sarah Stokowski, Clemson University. She will explore how student-athletes view and engage with betting-related content on social media.
Each fellowship lasts six months. The results will be shared during a UNLV IGI webinar in 2026.
Goals of the Program
The fellowship program aims to deliver research that can inform policymakers, leagues, and operators. By focusing on sports media, the initiative addresses one of the main channels through which betting information reaches fans. As a result, the projects are expected to highlight both risks and best practices for encouraging responsible play.
Dr. Kasra Ghaharian, Director of Research at IGI, said the program is designed to support new approaches: “A key goal of this initiative is to support innovative and impactful research to better understand the rapidly changing global sports and betting environment.”
Kevin Martinez, Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship, stressed the broadcaster’s role: “Responsible gaming continues to be a priority for ESPN, and we are proud to continue our collaboration with IGI. These new projects will provide valuable insights into how responsible gaming messages can be delivered effectively across sports media and help strengthen standards that protect fans everywhere.”
Brett Abarbanel, IGI’s Executive Director, noted the importance of cross-industry dialogue: “All of these different perspectives then have an opportunity to be in the same room in addition to us learning from them. It’s a channel we’ve never had in a formal sense to access the industry perspectives we need.”
The partnership began in late 2023 when ESPN became a founding donor of the program. The first group of fellows produced studies that helped frame the role of responsible gambling in sports coverage. Now, the second round will build on that base while adding fresh perspectives from different institutions and disciplines.
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