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With Problem Gambling Awareness Month in full swing, one sports betting operator is stepping up its protection of college sports programs.
U.S. Integrity announced it will provide Betfred with ProhiBet, a betting monitoring platform. Betfred will use ProhiBet to prevent college athletes, coaches, and staff from placing illegal wagers. Betfred USA CEO Kresimir Spajic said:
“Through our renewed partnership with U.S. Integrity, strengthened by the integration of ProhiBet technology. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to integrity and compliance by providing a secure and transparent system that aligns seamlessly with the regulatory framework surrounding sports betting.”
The news is the latest in U.S. Integrity’s push to provide monitoring tools that increase protective measures for collegiate athletics.
How will ProhiBet help Betfred?
U.S. Integrity’s ProhiBet platform is a combination of software and monitoring tools. The platform provides a solution for bringing together sports programs and conferences, sportsbook operators, and state regulators in the fight to enforce laws that prohibit certain types of betting.
One of ProhiBet’s strengths is that it provides stakeholders with real-time alerts of accounts attempting to make prohibited bets.
For example, Ohio regulations prohibit prop bets on college players. If a University of Toledo basketball coach tried to place a prop bet on one of his or her players, ProhiBet would block them from doing so and send out an alert to certain stakeholders.
The ProhiBet platform is certain to play a critical role in Betfred’s US operations. Of the 10 states where Betfred operates, eight of them have language prohibiting certain types of bets, according to U.S. Integrity:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Virginia
“We are thrilled to partner with Betfred,” ProhiBet Managing Director Matt Heap said in a U.S. Integrity news release. “The combination of ProhiBet’s state-of-the-art encrypted data transfer system and Betfred’s dedication to upholding the integrity of sports will undoubtedly enhance the transparency and trustworthiness of current and future prohibited bettors.”
U.S. Integrity is making a big push to monitor college betting
U.S. Integrity’s partnership with Betfred is part of the firm’s ongoing push to monitor college-related betting. The company has signed a series of partnerships with colleges, conferences and sportsbooks over the past year, including:
- George Washington University
- Circa Sports
- Tipico Sportsbook
- The Big East Conference
- The Missouri Valley Conference
- The Sun Belt Conference
- Tulane University
- Betr
- Underdog Fantasy
- Georgia Tech
- The Mountain West Conference
- The Big Ten Conference
- The Big 12 Conference
The dangers and ethics of college sports betting have come into sharp focus over the past two years.
First, scandals at the University of Alabama and the betting scandal involving players at the University of Iowa were a black eye for the NCAA.
Second, sportsbooks were signing partnerships with NCAA conferences, a move that brought tremendous blowback.
Conferences reversed their course, and now are pushing for the opposite: partnerships with monitoring firms that help prohibit certain types of bets rather than promoting betting.
Firms like U.S. Integrity have been able to step in and provide the protection needed to maintain the integrity of the college sports betting universe.
Additionally, the increased emphasis on safe betting helps foster responsible gaming. According to the college-focused responsible gaming initiative Pause Before You Play, 6% of college students are ensnared in problem gaming, which is double the rate of all gamblers.
The college years are already associated with at-risk behaviors such as drinking and drug use for some,” Pause Before You Play noted. “Students may just be seeking fun and diversion or may be feeling the growing pressure of classes and peers and may seek to escape through gambling.”
College students, athletes, coaches, or staff struggling with sports betting can reach out to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) at 1-800-GAMBLER, via text at 800GAM, or by NCPG’s helpline chat.
