Brett Abarbanel
Brett Abarbanel Named Executive Director of UNLV International Gaming Institute
Brett Abarbanel has been named executive director for the UNLV International Gaming Institute (IGI). IGI is a nonprofit academic center that offers research and educational programs for the global gaming industry.
The appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2023, marks the latest chapter in an award-winning catalog of research, advisory, and leadership work for Abarbanel, who has worked at IGI since 2016 as the director of research. Abarbanel’s expertise includes the intersection of gambling with esports, video games and traditional sports. She also has extensive experience in gaming operations and technology, responsible gambling and community relations, and gaming history. To date, she has presented her work in more than 20 countries and dozens of U.S. states.
Abarbanel succeeds Bo Bernhard, who will transition to serve full-time as UNLV vice president of economic development but maintain his affiliation with IGI as special advisor to the executive director.
“It is an honor to step into the role of executive director at International Gaming Institute, a world-renowned research, education, and innovation hub for the study of gambling with a brilliant staff,” Abarbanel said.
“As the gaming world continues to evolve and expand,” she said, “I am eager to collaborate with our many stakeholders in higher education, government, non-profit, and industry and build on IGI’s established momentum to improve industry learning, create workforce pipelines, and diversify the scope of knowledge in this field.”
Abarbanel — who is also an associate professor with UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality and has an affiliate research position at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre — brings almost two decades of experience to the position.
She earned bachelor’s degrees in statistics and architectural studies at Brown University and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees at UNLV, where she also worked at IGI as a UNLV graduate student. Abarbanel received the Best Thesis and Best Dissertation awards for her work on sportsbook patronage and online gambling user experiences, respectively.
After completing her Ph.D., Abarbanel served as the head of social and recreational gambling research at the UCLA Gambling Studies Program before returning to UNLV in her current role.
Abarbanel is the executive editor of the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, an editorial board member at International Gambling Studies, and Harvard University’s Brief Addiction Science Information Source. She is a founding director of the Nevada Esports Alliance, which promotes the development of best practices at the intersection of the esports and regulated gambling industries. In 2021, she was among seven industry expert professionals named to the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s first-ever Esports Technical Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations to the board on guidelines for maintaining integrity in esports when betting is involved.
The Innovation Group honored Abarbanel with the 2015 Emerging Leader Award and she was named to the 2016 Global Gaming Business 40 Under 40 list. She has been interviewed as a gambling expert in local, national, and international media outlets, and served as a consultant for multiple industry, non-profit, and government entities.
IGI is part of UNLV’s Division of Research. For more than 25 years, IGI has provided research-based solutions, insights, and executive education to the gaming industry. IGI houses several entities and initiatives focused on key needs in the global gambling world, including responsible gaming initiatives, the Center for Gaming Innovation, the International Center for Gaming Regulation, and the Expanding the Leaderverse initiative.
“The Division of Research is looking forward to working with Brett Abarbanel and thanks Bo Bernhard for his tremendous leadership at IGI and his continued service to the institute and to UNLV,” said David Hatchett, UNLV interim vice president for research. “I am confident in Brett’s leadership of this very important program. I am also looking forward to having her join our executive leadership and the perspective she brings to the team.”
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ESPN is reinforcing its commitment to educating and protecting its audience as sports betting becomes more mainstream with the launch of “The Talk,” a new campaign aimed at promoting responsible gaming practices.
The campaign features two creative spots — one starring SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan labeled “Wedding Day,” and the other, starring SportsCenter anchor Gary Striewski. Using humor and inspired by the classic “heart-to-heart” conversations families often have, “The Talk” engages viewers to deliver its message about what it means to play smart.
“At ESPN, we believe it’s our responsibility to help sports fans understand the risks of sports betting and learn what smart betting looks like. When ESPN decided to license its name to a sportsbook, responsible gaming was at the forefront of the discussion. The ESPN BET sportsbook, operated by PENN Entertainment, offers comprehensive responsible gaming resources that encompasses a wide range of protections and tools. However, ESPN’s commitment to responsible gaming extends even further. Because we feature content and advertising on betting, we believe we have a responsibility to help sports fans understand how to bet responsibly. We’re proud to work with industry leaders to find new and different ways to reach these audiences,” said Kevin Martinez, Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship.
The campaign will include the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline and direct viewers to a dedicated landing page, ESPN.com/smartplay, offering additional tools and resources to help fans understand what smart betting looks like and to help them have meaningful conversations about responsible betting.
“‘The Talk’ blends education, humor and actionable resources to capture attention and emphasize the importance of responsible gaming. This campaign encourages fans to reflect on their betting habits and discuss smart practices with family and friends. We want to normalize these conversations and ensure fans understand why responsible betting matters,” Martinez said.
“ESPN is taking an important approach to responsible gambling messaging, supported by behavioral science research. Rather than just focusing on the negative, these spots accentuate the positive by encouraging healthy habits: being a better bettor is not just about knowing when to take risks, it’s also about knowing when not to,” said Brett Abarbanel, Ph.D., Executive Director of International Gaming Institute at UNLV.
The post ESPN Launches “The Talk” Campaign to Promote Responsible Sports Betting appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
The resulting research will provide insights into the impact of responsible gambling messages used by media in covering the global sports wagering and gaming industry
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI) is excited to announce the recipients of the 2024 ESPN Research Fellowships. This year’s selection showcases a diverse group of scholars whose innovative project proposals will be pivotal in advancing knowledge on responsible gambling messaging in sports media.
Fellowships have been awarded to:
- Dr Hannah Borenstein, Harper-Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellow and Collegiate Assistant Teaching Professor at The University of Chicago
- Chance Dow, a Master’s student at the University of Memphis’ Tennessee Institute of Gambling Education and Research
- Dr Eric R Louderback, Research and Evaluation Scientist in the Division on Addiction at Harvard Medical School
- Dr Brian Petrotta, Assistant Professor of Sport Media and Communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Dr Travis Bell, Associate Professor of Digital and Sports Media at the University of South Florida
Each of the Fellowship proposals address unique facets of responsible gambling messaging in sports media. As the intersection between sports and gambling continues to evolve, the work of these scholars is essential in promoting healthy gambling practices and awareness.
These projects will provide insights into practical strategies that policy-makers and the industry can adopt to help safeguard the wellbeing of sports enthusiasts and the public at large.
Dr Borenstein will explore the relatively untapped domain of track and field and marathon running. Dr Borenstein’s investigation focuses on the implications of integrating gambling into mainstream broadcasting and spectating of these sports.
Dow will investigate the nuances of gendered gambling and responsible gambling. Dow’s study examines how to enhance the effectiveness of responsible gambling messages, particularly among college student populations.
Dr Louderback will analyze video-based sports gambling advertisements on social media. Dr Louderback’s research looks at how responsible gambling messages influence advertisement effectiveness and demonstrates the use of publicly available social media data in advancing knowledge in responsible gambling.
Dr Petrotta and Dr Bell will analyze actual gambling broadcasts during ‘March Madness’ competitions. The study explores how responsible gambling messages are conveyed and will provide crucial insights into real-world practices during live sports broadcasts.
“The IGI is tremendously excited about these projects,” the Executive Director for the IGI, Dr Brett Abarbanel, said. “A key goal of this initiative is to support innovative and impactful research to better understand the rapidly changing global sports and betting environment. This research represents a broad range of perspectives on how gambling is represented in sports media and holds important implications for all gambling stakeholders.”
“ESPN is proud to work with IGI to advance responsible gaming standards through this comprehensive research,” ESPN Corporate Citizenship Vice-President Kevin Martinez said. “These diverse research projects will help to inform how the industry can continue to respond to and improve upon responsible gaming practices in the sports entertainment ecosystem.”
Each research fellowship lasts for a duration of six (6) months. The results of the research will be featured in an IGI webinar in early 2025.
Brett Abarbanel
UNLV’s International Gaming Institute to Collaborate with ESPN Regarding Sports Betting and the Media
ESPN Commits to Pioneering Collaboration with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and ESPN, a leader in sports media, are proud to announce a collaboration to advance responsible sports betting practices and media impact analysis. ESPN, renowned for providing sports content, is set to be a founding donor of this innovative program, leveraging the expertise of UNLV’s prestigious International Gaming Institute (IGI).
The rapidly evolving landscape of sports betting presents an array of complex opportunities and challenges. To address these, UNLV IGI will develop 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,” says Brett Abarbanel, IGI Executive Director. “The growth of betting and gambling subjects in United States media have exploded in the past five years. So, too, have calls for extended research and thought leadership alongside this proliferation of content.
“ESPN is a market leader in sports media and collaboratively we will advance local, national and global discussions on sports while also establishing UNLV’s IGI as the academic hub for thought leadership in this important area.”
The collaboration, fueled by a philanthropic investment of $200,000 from ESPN, aims to catalyze the launch of this leading-edge initiative. ESPN’s contribution will support the program in various capacities including personnel, scholarly research, global outreach efforts and operational needs. Key areas of focus for this collaborative effort include:
* Enhancing Responsible Gambling: The program will conduct comprehensive reviews of current regulatory practices and recommend best practices to increase engagement in responsible gambling for both employees and customers.
* Developing Evidence-Based Insights: Researchers will provide evidence-based insights on the development of policies, messaging, technology components and more. IGI will create open-call research fellowships for international scholars in gambling to encourage global impact.
* Responsible Marketing Practices: A structured review process will be established to assess marketing and promotional materials, ensuring responsible marketing practices and the development of best practice policies.
* Creating Responsible Gambling Program Parameters: Collaborating with stakeholders, the program will advise on the creation of named, marketable and easily identifiable responsible gambling programs.
* Educating Industry Leaders: This initiative will also educate executive leadership in the media sector on best practices in sports betting including responsible gambling, responsible marketing, advertising policies, broadcast standards and risk management.
“ESPN is proud to support this initiative at UNLV,” said Kevin Martinez, Vice-President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “Our investment reflects our commitment to ensuring that the world of sports betting is not only entertaining but also responsible. We are eager to work alongside UNLV’s International Gaming Institute in advancing industry standards.”
UNLV Vice-President of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and UNLV Foundation President Rickey N McCurry echoes Martinez’s positive outlook on the partnership, stating: “The university is deeply grateful for ESPN’s commitment, which will enable us to create a global hub of knowledge and best practices in this ever-evolving field.”
This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to advancing the understanding of sports betting and its media interactions on a global scale, ensuring responsible gambling practices and fostering responsible marketing standards.
For more information about the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, please visit UNLV .edu/IGI.
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