Gaming Society and UNLV Announce New Collaboration to Advance the Sports Betting Industry Through Research and Core Curriculum

Gaming Society, the new betting education platform, and the International Gaming Institute (IGI), a nonprofit academic center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) that offers research and educational programs for the global gaming industry, have joined forces to help shape the future of sports betting and gamification through industry data and insights.

As part of the collaboration, Gaming Society and IGI will conduct research – collecting and analyzing data from across the sports betting, technology, and media industries – to establish an understanding of female sports bettors, women’s sports fans’ attitudes pertaining to betting and betting motivations as well as betting firms investing in sponsorship of women’s sports. The research will provide industry leading organizations with helpful market research with the ultimate goal of deepening fan engagement and making the industry more inclusive and accessible.

Gaming Society and IGI will also collaborate on betting education programming development, including an expansion of modules for Gaming Society’s Betting Academy 101 and responsible gambling education programs. Programming will educate bettors on the rapidly evolving sports betting landscape and provide a significant advantage to understanding innovation, opportunities, and challenges while maintaining a fun, sustainable gambling environment.

Additionally, to foster a pipeline for workforce development, Gaming Society will develop a mentorship program that will pair UNLV students with sports industry professionals. The program aims to create meaningful connections between college students and experienced industry executives in order to develop career access points for the talented students at UNLV.

“Market research and data on fan behavior is critical in driving future innovation within the sports betting industry. Over the past year, Gaming Society has partnered with leading leagues and brands to make sports betting more inclusive and deepen fan engagement, with particular focus on women bettors and women’s sports. Now, together with IGI, we will help advance the industry with bettors’ behavioral data and insights that will offer a new lens through which teams, leagues, and brands can understand their fans. We are looking forward to joining forces with IGI, while also empowering the next generation of industry professionals,” Jaymee Messler, co-founder of Gaming Society, said.

“We are thrilled to join The Gaming Society in this collaboration to advance research, education, and innovation in women’s sports and betting. We have aligned goals in exploring how betting can support the growth of women’s sports in a sustainable, responsible manner. We look forward to collaborating on this under-discussed area in our existing educational programs, including IGI’s International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking,” Brett Abarbanel, executive director of IGI, said.

Nancy Lough, Co-Director of Sport Research and Innovation at UNLV, said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of this cutting-edge research establishing an understanding of female sports bettors and women’s sport consumers. Advancement of women’s sport business relies on an appreciation of the value women’s sport offers to fans and sponsors. Collaboratively we will increase awareness of the exciting business opportunities in women’s sport, while also establishing UNLV’s IGI and the Gaming Society as the go-to source for thought leadership and workforce development.”