One of the unforeseen consequences of legalized sports betting in the US was a massive uptick in problem gambling issues among college age Americans. To help combat this ongoing issue, Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has launched a new campaign aimed at college students titled, the National College Education Campaign, that focuses on the importance of financial responsibility.
In a recent interview with SBC Americas, ROGA head Dr. Jennifer Shatley commented on importance of messaging towards college students saying, “College-age people, this is an audience that is either already engaged in sports betting or online gaming or largely will be in the near future. It’s an important audience, one that’s been mainly overlooked up until this program, in my belief.”
The National College Education Campaign hopes to reach college students with a message that emphasizes financial literacy as means of fighting off problem gambling. Part of that messaging is letting college-age Americans know that gambling is not a good financial plan. “It’s important to have a foundational understanding of responsible gaming.To have realistic expectations, to understand how to engage in it in a responsible way as entertainment and not as a way to make money, and to really dispel a lot of the myths around gaming.”
“Financial literacy is completely and inherently linked to responsible gaming, because it’s that idea of self-regulation and understanding that gaming isn’t a way to make money, as well as how to budget money and time. That’s tied to gaming but also to general life skills and overall financial well-being,” Shatley added.
ROGA is funded through the combined efforts of bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital, PENN Entertainment, and Bally’s.