The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI) has announced the recipients of its 2025 ESPN Research Fellowships. This initiative supports four academic scholars who will investigate the complex landscape of responsible gambling messaging within sports media, aiming to understand its impact on consumer well-being and promote safer gambling practices.
Key Takeaways
- Four scholars have been awarded ESPN Research Fellowships to study responsible gambling in sports media.
- The research projects will focus on public service announcements, celebrity endorsements, and the perceptions of young bettors.
- The findings from these fellowships are slated for presentation in an IGI webinar in 2026.
Fellowship Focus Areas
The selected fellows will undertake six-month research projects, contributing valuable insights into how responsible gambling is communicated in the sports media ecosystem. The initiative underscores a continued commitment from both IGI and ESPN to advance research in this critical area.
2025 Fellowship Recipients and Their Projects
The 2025 ESPN Research Fellows and their respective research areas are:
- Dr. Brandon Mastromartino (San Diego State University): Will evaluate responsible gambling public service announcements (PSAs) specifically within the National Football League (NFL).
- Dr. Chris R. Noland (University of South Florida): Will examine the influence of celebrity endorsements in sports betting advertisements featured on Instagram.
- Dr. Ramon Silva Leite (Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil): Will analyze the methods and effectiveness of delivering responsible gambling messages across various sports media platforms.
- Dr. Sarah Stokowski (Clemson University): Will research how student-athletes perceive and engage with sports betting content encountered online.
Advancing Responsible Gambling Research
Dr. Kasra Ghaharian, IGI’s Director of Research, expressed pride in the work produced by previous fellowship cohorts, highlighting the importance of these studies for understanding gambling’s representation in sports media and its implications for all stakeholders. Kevin Martinez, ESPN’s Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, reiterated ESPN’s dedication to responsible gaming and the value of the ongoing collaboration with IGI to support impactful research.
This partnership between UNLV IGI and ESPN is crucial for developing a deeper understanding of responsible gambling messaging and its effectiveness in protecting consumers within the rapidly evolving sports betting landscape.
Sources
- UNLV IGI announces 2025 ESPN Research Fellowship recipients, Gaming America.
