January 24, 2025 3 min read

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NFL and RGC Seek to Aid Student-Athletes Steer Away from Gambling Harm

The NFL and RGC are doubling down on their initiative to help educate and protect consumers, with student-athletes the next focus of their joint effort

The National Football League has teamed up with the Responsible Gaming Council to work on educating student-athletes about the pitfalls of sports gambling and how can young and vulnerable players be sucked into making bad decisions.

The NFL and RGC Outline New Ambitious Program to Help Student-Athletes

Betting by student-athletes is largely prohibited, with regulators and sports bodies citing risks to the integrity of the sport and bad actors exploiting players. However, not enough effort has been put into educating college-level players about the dangers and how to handle such situations.

This is why the Responsible Gambling Council and the National Football League will now develop and implement an RG training program that will help them cope better. Student-athletes are more susceptible to developing an unhealthy relationship with gambling and risk their career, as well as suffer long-term life consequences.

The program will seek to demonstrate some important aspects of gambling such as how odds are usually stacked against players, and how players tend to lose in the long term. Student-athletes will also be educated on how their involvement in sports competitions makes them more susceptible to gambling.

They will also learn about how gambling-related harm impacts players and their loved ones, and have resources made available to them to share with people they know are already struggling with their gambling.

Student-athletes need to receive support with responsible gambling and problem gambling prevention initiatives, argue the two partners to help protect young people.

Commenting on this initiative, NFL SVP of social responsibility Anna Isaacson had this to say outlining the initiative:

Our shared goal is to equip these student-athletes with the tools and knowledge to navigate gambling risks, fostering a safer and more responsible environment. We also hope to gain insights that will be invaluable in shaping future responsible gambling efforts to benefit all those who play and engage with our game as fans.

NFL SVP of social responsibility Anna Isaacson

The Program Will Seek to Self-Evaluate and Improve, Not Just Reach Out Players

The program is already prepared to launch with eight universities and colleges in Canada this spring semester.

However, the program should eventually cover more than 30 institutions of higher learning throughout the 2025 and 2026 school year. Responsible Gambling Council CE Sarah McCarthy was similarly confident in the need for such a program and its potential long-term success.

“Student-athletes face unique pressures from academics, athletics and the accessibility of sports betting, making them vulnerable to risky gambling behaviors,” she explained.

The partnership with the National Football League is a crucial step forward to supporting vulnerable groups and offering them the tools necessary to make informed decisions and steer clear of bad habits, she explained.

“Early responsible gambling education helps student-athletes build capacities to succeed both on and off the field,” McCarthy concluded. However, the initiative is not only relying on outreach. Rather, the program will also seek to be self-reflective and evaluate the results it has achieved over the training period.

Journalist

Although Fiona doesn't have a long-spanning background within the gambling industry, she is an incredibly skilled journalist who has built a strong interest in the constantly growing iGaming network. The team at Gambling News is glad to have her on our roster to help deliver the best stories as soon as they hit. Aside from writing, she loves to dabble in online casino games such as slots and roulette, both for her own enjoyment and also as research to better improve her understanding of the industry.

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