One day before PENN Entertainment’s ESPN-branded mobile sportsbook, ESPN BET, was set to go live in 17 states, UNLV announced that ESPN had donated $200,000 to the school’s International Gaming Institute for research related to responsible sports betting.
According to a press release, the funds will kickstart the development of “a pioneering program dedicated to the study of, education on, and advisory services related to sports betting and its intersection with the media.”
“We are thrilled to have ESPN’s support for research, education, and innovation in the responsible, sustainable representation of sports betting in the media,” Brett Abarbanel, the IGI’s executive director, said in the release.
