Addressing how sports betting presents “unique considerations” for responsible gambling initiatives, executives from DraftKings, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) and the Responsible Gambling Council spoke during the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas.
DraftKings Chief Responsible Gambling Officer Lori Kalani, Fanatics Betting & Gaming VP of Government Affairs Brandt Iden, ROGA President & CEO Dr. Jennifer Shatley and Responsible Gambling Council CEO Sarah McCarthy all spoke during the panel.
McCarthy began the panel by stating sports bettors believe “knowledge and skill,” or the “illusion of control,” affects wagers more than chance. The Responsible Gambling Council CEO claimed “tools only work if you know how to use them,” and that problem gamblers may only begin using RG tools “when the harm has already started.”
Dr. Shatley then questioned Kalani on how RG tools can reach a younger audience, as the DraftKings executive responded by confirming the operator found “many people didn’t know to set a budget.”
Iden then addressed the topic: “In government affairs this is a very important public policy debate we’re having right now. Lawmakers are having a critical discussion on what we can do better.”
Kalani and Iden agreed that creating “incentive” for bettors to use RG tools has become an effective strategy, including DraftKings entering users who engage with such initiatives in pools to win NFL tickets.
McCarthy: “Younger adults are carrying much more stress and much anxiety in their finances than ever before. (They) are using betting as a coping mechanism. When we look at prevention, we have to meet young adults where they are.
“It has to work as a wider picture of how young adults are existing within the universe. They told us they want the facts, they don’t want to be told what to do. Scare tactics don’t work with this population.”
Kalani referenced the operator’s partnership with MindwayAI to launch the new Gamalyze tool, although had yet to speak on recent claims of DraftKings using AI-powered data analysis to target losing bettors.
Iden joked “surprise, surprise” when it comes to young adults not wanting to be told what to do, and agreed operators need to “relate” to such users and “talk at their level.”
“We talk to the sports fan in different ways. And it’s taking that message and being able to communicate to these younger cohorts and spread that message to focus on these responsible gambling tools,” Iden said.
Dr. Shatley, referring back to the use of “scare tactics,” believes regulators and operators are becoming “really creative” with RG initiatives, and that “one of the advantages of sports betting is that it’s a much broader ecosystem now.”
“We extend this to social media, fan engagement, broadcasts, everything is an opportunity to reach those audiences,” Dr. Shatley said.
McCarthy and Iden both addressed the role of parenting in responsible gambling, as the Fanatics executive believes certain cases can “make our job a lot harder.” McCarthy agreed with the claims, stating that while many young adults would say their parents approve of gambling, those adults “may not understand they are introducing their children to gaming.”
“What we need to provide adults with is preventive education. The developmental components of this and how to have open conversations without it being shut down by the young adults in our lives,” McCarthy said.
Kalani believes it will take a “collaborative approach” to ensure RG initiatives are pushed successfully, while Iden claimed “we’re fighting an uphill battle.”
Iden: “You look at these video games with the loot boxes, it’s ingrained with these young people because it starts that early. We’re working hard and we’re doing better but it takes all of us.”
McCarthy confirmed “one in five” youth participate in gaming-related activity, and believes “marketing discipline” is “extremely important” in creating RG initiatives.
To conclude the panel, Dr. Shatley claimed “we need to start segmenting and really look at content, tone and culture. Different cultures look at gaming in different ways.”
“We do struggle because we need to get to younger audiences,” Dr. Shatley confirmed.
Iden believes it is "hard" for operators to get policymakers' attention in the US, as not many "run for office with the desire to consider gaming legislation."
DraftKings and Fanatics managed to secure official sportsbook partnership agreements with the National Football League in August, joining FanDuel as sponsors of the professional football league
