The Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) has signed a new partnership with the National Football League (NFL) in a bid to develop and present a new student-athlete training program across multiple universities in Canada.
This groundbreaking partnership is set to educate one of the most vulnerable groups to gambling addiction: young athletes. As a result, this initiative will tackle key problem gambling issues and provide comprehensive advice on responsible gambling practices and techniques to prevent gambling addiction.
The programme has been created with a player-specific self-evaluative framework to measure the success of the initiative in order to get in-depth data on whether it should be used for future training initiatives.
The training program will include a specialized, interactive session featuring engaging videos, interactive components, and best practices for responsible gambling. After participating in the training, student-athletes will:
- Understand the dangers, risks, and odds of gambling and how players are likely to lose over time.
- Recognize their unique susceptibility to risky gambling behaviour.
- Identify the signs of gambling-related harms and their potential impact on players and loved ones.
- Learn about resources available for those experiencing gambling-related harms.
Starting this spring, the program will begin in a pilot stage that will see it introduced to eight Canadian Universities. Next, the initiative will use data from the pilot stage to evaluate any potential adjustments or improvements. If everything goes according to plan, the programme will be launched across 30 Canadian universities.
*Interesting fact: According to a report by the American Gaming Association (AGA), in 2024, American adults have wagered a hefty $35 billion on NFL matches.
Sarah McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer at the RGC, commented on the partnership and said that it marks a “crucial step” in the battle against gambling addiction among young athletes, emphasizing the need for educational materials and safety tools to prevent this dire issue.
Student-athletes face unique pressures from academics, athletics, and the accessibility of sports betting, making them vulnerable to risky gambling behaviours. Our partnership with the NFL is a crucial step in supporting this group by providing the education and tools needed to make informed decisions. Early responsible gambling education helps student-athletes build capacities to succeed both on and off the field.
Similarly, Anna Isaacson, SVP of Social Responsibility at the NFL, said that the League is proud to collaborate and support the RGC in such a vital initiative, highlighting that the goal of this partnership is to provide student-athletes with the necessary tools and knowledge on how to “navigate gambling risks”.
We are proud to support the Responsible Gambling Council in this important initiative. Our shared goal is to equip these student-athletes with the tools and knowledge to navigate gambling risks, fostering a safer and more responsible environment. We also hope to gain insights that will be invaluable in shaping future responsible gambling efforts to benefit all those who play and engage with our game as fans.
The Responsible Gambling Council has been quite busy in the past couple of years, forging partnerships with several leading brands and organizations from North America in a bid to improve the responsible gambling scene in the region and educate players on the perils of over-indulging in gambling.
This includes the partnership with Ontario-based ThinkTV to launch a safer gambling Professional Skills Academy (PSA), as well as the collaboration with Entain in Ontario with the same purpose.
