BetMGM has extended its relationship with EPIC Global Solutions into a sixth year, drawing on the consultancy’s lived experience model to support player protection excellence across key consumer-facing teams.

BetMGM originally partnered with EPIC to provide meaningful exposure to the human impact of problem gambling for its employees and stakeholders. The “lived experience” approach from EPIC continues to positively impact the organisation’s responsible gambling framework, training strategy, and stakeholder engagement.

Through the extension of the work in 2026, EPIC has initially delivered two sessions of their “Gambling Harm Awareness” program to BetMGM teams during March, coinciding with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and will undertake two further scheduled sessions with BetMGM’s customer-facing teams later in the year. Additional Gambling Harm Awareness sessions have been agreed for September, alongside digital Responsible Gambling training and an advisory day with EPIC consultants.

Client feedback from the two March engagements has evidenced strong increases in both knowledge and confidence around gambling issues among BetMGM teams. Quantitative feedback from employee surveys confirmed:

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed they had a better understanding of the potential personal, social, and financial effects of gambling harm, as well as a better understanding of how RG supports healthy play and how PG manifests as harm, and how proactive engagement can protect customers and the company;

• 98% agreed or strongly agreed they had a better understanding of how to identify key indicators in customer behavior, communication, or play patterns;

• 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they had better knowledge of the difference between responsible gambling (RG) and problem gambling (PG);

• 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they felt confident recognising the signs of gambling harm and in identifying common risk factors and vulnerable groups.

Richard Taylor, Director of Responsible Gambling, BetMGM, said: “Our long-standing partnership with EPIC Global Solutions continues to play an important role in how we support responsible play at BetMGM. Their lived experience approach brings valuable insight to our teams and enhances how we recognise and respond to gambling-related risk. As we enter our sixth year working together, EPIC’s expertise remains essential to strengthening our culture of responsibility across the business.”

“BetMGM continues to demonstrate a clear commitment to player protection, evidenced by the longevity of their working relationship with EPIC,” said Cory Brown, Gaming Policy & Consumer Protection Manager North America, EPIC Global Solutions.

“We’re pleased to have supported their mission for six years and look forward to further strengthening their team’s knowledge with the additional training we’re scheduled to deliver later this year.”

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) at its public monthly meeting approved a consent agreement presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) resulting in a $100,000 fine to BetMGM.

In its approval of the consent agreement, the Board agreed that BetMGM failed to have sufficient procedures to prevent fraudulent behavior on its BetMGM and Borgata wagering platforms. This includes insufficient Know-Your-Customer (KYC) protocols that allows for the creation, access and use of multiple accounts by individuals using personal identifying information of other individuals and the funding of those accounts using stolen or fraudulently obtained payment devices.

The consent agreement identified four individual fraud rings that:

1. operated for approximately 25 months until January 2024 with 1567 accounts created using personal identifying information of other individuals and $229,580 of combined wagering;

2. operated for approximately 34 months until November 2024 with 34 accounts created using personal identifying information of other individuals and over $14,598 of combined wagering;

3. operated for approximately 29 months until November 2023 with 119 accounts created using personal identifying information of other individuals and $895,092 of combined wagering

4. operated for approximately 19 months until December 2023 with 304 accounts created using personal identifying information of other individuals and $867,910 of combined wagering.

The Board also took actions to place 16 individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. Placement on an Involuntary Exclusion List prohibits individuals from either gaming in a casino in Pennsylvania, via an online betting site regulated by the Board, or at a Video Gaming Terminal (VGT) location.

The actions by the Board include placement of four adults on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion list for leaving minors unattended at a casino property while they gambled:

• A male patron who left an 11-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot at Hollywood Casino York for 52 minutes while he gambled at slot machines and table games;

• A male patron who left a 5-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot at Rivers Casino Philadelphia for 17 minutes while he gambled at table games and the sportsbook;

• A male patron who left a 9-year-old in the parking lot at Rivers Casino Philadelphia for 1 hour 7 minutes while he gambled at table games and the sportsbook; and,

• A male patron who left two minors, ages 7 and 12, in a vehicle in the parking lot at Parx Casino for 32 minutes while he gambled at slot machines.

Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children. To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids” (DontGamblewithKids.org).

In addition to the four adults listed above, 12 others were placed on either or both of the Involuntary Casino Exclusion and Involuntary Interactive Exclusion Lists for various actions.

These matters, presented by the Board’s Office of Chief Counsel and the OEC, raise the number of individuals now on the Board’s various Involuntary Exclusion Lists to 1515.