New Responsible Gambling Program Launches For US Universities

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) announced the development of a national college responsible gambling (RG) education campaign.

ROGA partnered with EPIC Global Solutions, Kindbridge Behavioral Health, and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) to develop and implement a comprehensive program.

Key takeaways

ROGA’s education program helps college students set realistic expectations about gambling and promotes informed decision-making to keep gaming entertaining.
The program aims to humanize and destigmatize the issue of problem gambling.
ROGA will work with several universities to pilot extended content.

ROGA’s education campaign covers financial literacy

Set to launch in early 2025, ROGA’s comprehensive, evidence-based college education program is customized to the needs of university-aged students. The program will leverage digital delivery tools to promote responsible gambling and financial literacy education to students across various campuses and demographics in the US.

Speaking about the program, Dr. Jennifer Shatley, executive director of ROGA, said in the press release:

“A main goal of ROGA is to promote responsible gaming education and awareness across various audiences, including the college-aged demographic.”

As Shatley further explains, the educational program aims to:

Provide much-needed information and resources about responsible gaming concepts.
Raise awareness of the consequences related to problem gambling and available support services
Teach general financial literacy skills to help students build and maintain good financial habits whether they engage in gaming or not

Humanizing and destigmatizing the issue of problem gambling

Another key aspect of the program is to humanize and de-stigmatize the issue of problem gambling by integrating the lived experiences of persons affected by it.

“By combining expert knowledge with personal stories of those who have experienced gambling related harm, this education is critical for young adults coming of age in a post-PASPA world.” – Tessa Fiore, VP of Partnerships at EPIC Global Solutions.

With college students’ new freedom and financial independence, the program’s financial literacy education element will equip all students with critical financial management skills related to

Budgeting
Saving
Risks associated with debt

By ensuring students understand that responsible gambling is closely connected with good financial habits, the program will also inform on:

How to set limits on their gaming expenses
To view online gaming and betting as entertainment rather than a way to make money

Daniel Umfleet, founder and CEO of Kindbridge Behavioral Health, emphasized that this is a crucial step toward helping young adults make informed, financially responsible decisions about gaming.

The program will also address common myths and misperceptions about gaming, such as the illusion of control, usually related to sports betting. It also clarifies complex mathematical concepts like odds, probability, and randomness.

Responsible Online Gaming Association will work with universities

To increase accessibility, digital delivery tools will be available to anyone in the college-age demographic. Individuals do not have to be enrolled in a university to access these valuable resources.

Moreover, the program will work with several universities to pilot extended content and interactive tools to keep the program moving forward. Additional content will be focused on the specific needs of student-athletes.

To advance and promote responsible gambling, the ROGA was founded by eight of the US online gambling industry’s largest legal operators: