North Carolina Sports Betting Summit: “The Gamblification of Sports Culture and Safety Considerations”
Sports betting has taken America by storm since Professional & Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2018. In just 6 short years, 38 states have legalized sports gambling with 30 of these states permitting online sports betting. This has sparked a true culture change in how the world experiences sports viewing as the commercialization of legalized sports betting has unleashed billion-dollar promotion campaigns from its industry players. These ads push sophisticated online betting services with extreme accessibility that can provide a “dopamine hit” every 15 seconds, resulting in a highly addictive and ultimately dangerous product.
On March 11, 2024, North Carolina became the most recent state to join this majority by initiating mobile betting via sports betting apps. This has resulted in an increase as high as 96% (March 2024) for North Carolina problem gambling helpline calls and calls have remained at higher levels since these programs were activated. When considering these new developments in the gambling and sports viewing industries, how can we ensure the safety of North Carolinians? Learn from national and international experts as they present their ideas in creating a safer sports viewing environment through recently proposed legislation, prevention and education programs.
Learning Objectives
- Explore strategies and technologies to maintain transparency in sports betting operations, focusing on education, mitigating risks of match-fixing, athlete abuse, and other unethical practices
- Discuss the role of data analytics, partnerships with regulatory bodies, and real-time monitoring systems to identify and prevent fraudulent or suspicious betting patterns that could undermine the integrity of sports.
- Analyze whether legality of sports wagering has an impact on gambling behavior and risk, including among diverse populations.
- Understand MLB’s integrity and commercial policies related to sports betting and analyze the considerations behind those policies.
- Understand MLB’s views on legalized sports betting, and its approach to responsible gambling as it relates to both players and fans.
- Understand the impact of sports betting marketing and advertising on youth and young adults.
- Consider evidence-based strategies to integrate digital media literacy into work with youth and young adults.
- Educate and inform attendees regarding gambling disorder as an addiction, and the potential risks this poses to individuals and families.
- Educate and inform attendees regarding the public health risk related to gambling and gambling disorder
- Educate and inform attendees regarding the movement to develop and implement a comprehensive public health approach to regulating the gambling industry.