The International Center for Responsible Gaming has funded several studies in 2025 and is awaiting the results of some, on which money was allocated in previous years.
Seth McCullock, a PhD with Cambridge Health Alliance, was awarded a $435,087 grant to co-design responsible gambling messages to promote safer play behaviors. This research focuses on enhancing responsible gambling messaging by addressing gaps in current practices, which often lack evidence-based public health strategies and the inclusion of gamblers’ perspectives. The study aims to co-design responsible gaming messages with input from a community advisory board comprising gamblers and experts, ensuring relevance and efficacy, according to Travis Sztainert, director of research and education at ICRG.
By comparing these co-designed messages to existing public ones, the research seeks to provide actionable insights for improving RG practices and promoting safer gambling behaviors, Sztainert said.
This project is supported by a gift from Bally’s Corporation.
“We don’t really understand what makes positive responsible gaming messages that resonate with people,” Sztainert said. “It can be stigmatizing. Even with the term ‘responsible gambling,’ everybody thinks they’re responsible and people believe these tools and messages don’t apply to them. The current language doesn’t resonate with people and they’re not listening.”
A study called AI for RG employs emerging artificial intelligence technologies to produce the next generation of responsible gambling tools. The principal investigator is Daniel McGrath, a PhD with the University of Calgary, who was awarded $187,874. This research explores the potential of AI to enhance responsible gambling strategies, focusing on the prevention and mitigation of gambling-related harms, Sztainert said.
The study will investigate such AI applications as classification models for identifying at-risk gamblers and creating tailored RG messaging, with a focus on ethical considerations and user engagement, Sztainert said.
Findings from this study aim to provide actionable insights for regulators, gambling operators, and treatment professionals to advance the next generation of RG tools, Sztainert said.
This project is supported by a grant from MGM Resorts International.
“It’s about whether we can tailor messages to specific individuals using AI-driven intervention,” Sztainert said. “Can we use AI to create this next generation of responsible gambling tools, intervention, and messaging?”
ICRG has funded a study titled “The Temporal Relation and Risk Factors Between Gambling, Mental Health, and Addiction Problems Among Emerging Adults.” Principal investigator Andrew Hyounsoon Kim, a PhD with Toronto Metropolitan University, was awarded $186,578. This research investigates the temporal relationships and risk factors linking gambling disorders with mental health and addiction problems among emerging adults, with a distinct emphasis on sex and gender differences, Sztainert said.
By conducting a study with 1,200 participants aged 18 to 25, the researchers aim to uncover whether gambling disorders precede or follow mental health and addiction issues. The study also explores how specific gambling activities, such as sports betting, correlate with these comorbidities and examines psychosocial risk factors, including adverse childhood experiences and emotion-regulation difficulties, Sztainert said.
This project is supported by a gift from MGM Resorts International.
“In terms of gambling harm, there’s a question whether gambling stands alone or is part of a constellation of higher-risk behaviors and risk factors—and which comes first,” Sztainert said. “Does the gambling come first and then you get other addictions or mental health issues like depression or does depression cause you to gamble to escape the depression? We don’t know.”
Another study assesses the Impact of legalized sports gambling on bankruptcy rates. Principal investigator Paul Sacco, a PhD at the University of Maryland, received $46,000. This study investigates whether the legalization of sports gambling leads to higher bankruptcy rates, by analyzing economic and financial data. By comparing trends in bankruptcy filings before and after legalization in states that have and haven’t legalized sports gambling, the research aims to isolate its causal impact.
The study will also examine demographic and socioeconomic factors that may influence gambling-related financial distress, providing insights into which populations are most vulnerable. Utilizing publicly available bankruptcy records and economic indicators, the findings could help inform responsible gambling policies, consumer-protection measures, and regulatory efforts aimed at reducing financial harm linked to expanded gambling opportunities, Sztainert said.
“Paul will look at jurisdictions and when they legalized sports betting. Does that have any impact on people declaring bankruptcy?”
A study on evaluating the impact of environmental gambling cues with Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer is being conducted by principal investigator Martyn Quigley, a PhD with Swansea University, who was awarded $44,936. Reward-related cues such as the sights, sounds, and imagery used in slot machines and gambling advertisements are thought to drive and reinforce gambling behavior, Sztainert said. Despite their widespread presence, little experimental research has addressed how these environmental cues influence gambling behaviors in humans.
Two studies will be conducted online to measure self-reported gambling severity alongside behavioral responses. This foundational research could guide safer gaming practices and inform regulatory policies on advertising, ultimately contributing to harm minimization in gambling environments, Sztainert said.
This project is supported by a gift from DraftKings.
“There’s little research on how cues affect gambling behavior,” Sztainert said. “Anything that you see on billboards or slot machine imagery and the lights and sounds or associate with gambling, like dice being thrown on the table, we want to see what effect is that having on people.”
Among the studies coming this year is one from Scott Graupensperger from the University of Washington on responsible gambling insights and understanding the mental-health and alcohol risks of sports betting in young adults. Bally’s funded the study for $172,273.
With the rapid rise of sports betting, particularly among young adults, the gaming industry and public-health sectors are facing a growing obligation to address related mental-health and behavioral challenges, Sztainert said.
The first study explores how problem sports betting impacts young adults’ mental health, revealing strong links between betting severity and elevated levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Those facing greater problem-gambling issues also reported lower life satisfaction and social connectedness. The findings emphasize the value of proactive industry-led initiatives that address these mental-health correlates through supportive tools, early interventions, and educational resources, Sztainert said.
A second study from the same team sheds light on an equally significant concern: the connection between sports betting and hazardous alcohol use. Research has found that young adults who engage in betting and drinking on the same day face heightened risks. This same-day behavior amplifies the adverse effects of both activities, suggesting a specific need to inform players about the compounded risks of simultaneous betting and drinking, Sztainert said.
“These studies underscore the industry’s role in promoting responsible gambling, particularly for young adults at a vulnerable developmental stage. By implementing responsible gambling measures, from in-app education on healthy gaming habits to self-assessment and behavior-tracking tools, stakeholders can contribute to a safer betting environment. Additionally, targeted public-awareness campaigns can help young bettors recognize risk factors, promoting healthier choices and responsible play. Through these findings, we can all work toward innovative responsible-gambling solutions that foster both player well-being and sustainable growth in the sports betting landscape.”
Sztainert said they’re awaiting the results from a study on gambling and emerging adults. Principal investigator Lia Nower, a PhD at Rutgers University, was awarded $391,497.
The study is exploring the established risk factors for gambling disorder, along with more contemporary considerations, such as the influence of the changing legislative landscape, gambling associated with video games, as well as understudied areas such as genetic risk factors, intergenerational influences, and dispositional variables.
“The overall goal is to conduct a comprehensive, systematic study of risk factors that impact gambling among emerging adults to inform policy, education, prevention, and treatment efforts,” Sztainert said. “Translational knowledge from this project will be disseminated as evidence-based materials and tools that will be useful for the general public, as well as for treatment providers, policymakers, and researchers.”
This project is supported by funds from FanDuel and Hard Rock Entertainment.
A study is also coming from Michael Wohl, who was awarded $171,924 in a project funded by Global Payments. This will build on the researcher’s previous findings that a hard-lock option, where players cannot continue playing once their limit is reached, is more effective in reducing the number of visits and gambling expenditures over time compared to the standard soft-lock option, where players can continue playing after their limit is reached.
“He’s looking at whether we can reward people for responsible gambling,” Sztainert said, “and how we can get people to use these responsible gambling tools. What we find is, even though people are aware of them, hardly anyone uses them. The next barrier is getting people to use the tools the industry has put in place.”
