About Face

The NCAA has softened on sports betting, but it's still taking a very cautious approach as it charts a new course in the era of legal sports betting.

Oct 17, 2023

NEWS: The NCAA launches a new e-learning sports betting course for student-athletes.
SIDENOTE: Unlike pro leagues, the NCAA isn’t ready to embrace sports betting, but it is trying to adjust to the new sports betting reality.
NEWS: Massachusetts releases annual report on GameSense and PlayMyWay.
QUICK HITTER: The case against a lottery in Nevada.
NEWS: PokerStars explains its efforts to deal with Real-Time Assistance (RTA) tools, which are turning into a serious issue.
AROUND the WATERCOOLER: Ozempic curbs problem gambling?
STRAY THOUGHTS: No such thing as a free lunch.

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The NCAA Has a New Sports Betting E-Learning Course

To counteract the pervasiveness of sports betting, the NCAA has launched a new e-learning course for student-athletes.

The course is a result of the data collection undertaken by new NCAA President Charlie Baker, the former governor who was a driving force behind Massachusetts’ foray into sports betting.

"One of the first things I did when I took over as NCAA president was gather as much information as possible about sports betting on college campuses. This educational resource is directly informed by that data,” Baker said. “We believe this new program will help protect student-athletes from the risks that come with sports wagering.”

According to the NCAA release, each section of the module is led by a former student-athlete:

“Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts NFL linebacker and former Syracuse football student-athlete and finance/marketing management graduate, kicks off the learning experience, followed by Mikala Hall, who played basketball and earned a Master of Business Administration from Central Michigan, and Joshua Butler, who played football and earned an MBA from Sioux Falls.”

Per Legal Sports Report, the e-learning module will be available as part of each student-athlete’s NCAA Eligibility Center account, in addition to it being “available to all campuses to use as part of their ongoing student-athlete education.”

“This is the first sports wagering module the NCAA has produced, and it serves as an additional, virtual educational tool to supplement the on-campus education that EPIC Risk Management is providing to campuses across the country,” an NCAA spokesperson told LSR.

Beyond the Headline: The NCAA’s Shift

The NCAA was one of the most vocal opponents of legal sports betting during New Jersey’s multi-year efforts to repeal PASPA. The NCAA has also remained the most antagonistic towards sports betting in the post-PASPA era - which shouldn’t be a surprise given the age and amateur status of NCAA athletes.

Baker’s presidency is an interesting moment for the organization. He was an interesting, and given his role in Massachusetts’ sports betting, obvious choice.

It appears Baker is trying to clearly define the NCAA’s sports betting rules and guidelines to adjust to the new reality (where previously unthinkable things like a Final Four in Las Vegas are now commonplace) while keeping sports betting at arm’s length to protect the integrity of its games and student-athletes.

All of this is happening while investigations are occurring, from student-athlete betting to a betting scandal involving Alabama Baseball.

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Some (Interesting) Data from MA GameSense Report

When Massachusetts legalized casino gambling, the state implemented two first-of-their-kind (in the US) responsible gambling programs: GameSense and PlayMyWay.

GameSense uses trained staff at on-site info centers along with digital outreach to educate and assist gamblers on gambling and the responsible gambling tools available.

PlayMyWay is a non-binding budgeting tool offered through a rewards card. Once registered, players can set daily, weekly, and monthly limits. Slot machines provide reminders when players approach these limits. You can find a walkthrough of the program here.

Per the report, and make of these numbers what you will, from 80,000 interactions in FY 2023:

There was a 12% increase in GameSense-initiated self-exclusion, with 436 in FY 2022 and 490 in FY 2023.
Remote self-exclusions rose 63% year-over-year: 156 in FY2023 vs. 96 in FY2022.
580 LiveChat sessions were conducted through GameSenseMA.com.
Self-exclusions and reinstatements initiated by LiveChat rose by 243% year over year (120 in FY23 compared to 35 in FY22).
PlayMyWay sign-ups rose 322% YOY (11549 in FY2023 and 2736 in FY2022), with the caveat that Encore Boston Harbor implemented the program in September 2022.

GameSense has been largely embraced by Massachusetts operators, with MGM rolling it out at properties across the country, as well as online.

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Nevada Among a Handful of Lottery Holdouts

Despite being the gambling capital of the world, Nevada is one of five states that lacks a lottery. Some are hoping to change that, as AJR5 would repeal the state’s prohibition on lotteries. Others are happy with the status quo.

In a recent op-ed in the Nevada Independent, Michael Schaus explained one of the key arguments against state-run lotteries, calling them a regressive tax.

Two passages in particular stand out, but the entire article is worth a read:

“An investigation of state lotteries by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found that stores selling tickets are disproportionately clustered in lower-income neighborhoods.”
“In the early 2000s, the Tax Foundation looked at what the implicit tax rate was for lotteries across the nation — the amount of a ticket purchase that went to government coffers. The total for U.S. lotteries was a staggering 45 percent.”

Online Poker RTAs Are a Hot-Button Issue

This is another story I’ve been trying to find a place for in the newsletter.

In late September, PokerStars published a blog post about its efforts to counteract Real-Time Assistance (RTA) tools.

PokerNews did an excellent job of succinctly explaining the issue many have with RTA tools, “RTA refers to players receiving external advice while playing, which undermines the integrity of the game.”

I would add that RTAs are a major barrier new players are unable to overcome, causing them to lose even faster than they normally would, further tipping an already uneven playing field.

Combatting early bots was a much simpler proposition, with PokerStars and other sites able to detect bots by the speed and location of mouse clicks. But bots have become far more advanced over the years.

As Todd Witteles tweeted in response to RTA accusations against a WSOP.com user:

“Imagine how many people use RTA in these online bracelet events. This is just one example. And that's separate from those who multiaccount and ghost. This is why online bracelets and real bracelets should be considered separate titles.”

Phil Galfond talked about the issue in a YouTube video several months ago.

According to PokerNews, PokerStars uses “various methods to identify different types of cheaters, including those who play perfect GTO or seek advice only in critical moments. These tools work even if players occasionally use RTA, thanks to behavioral indicators in the data.”

PokerStars boasts that its detection rate is about 95%, with account closures from player-reported incidents making up just 5% of cases.

Another outlet paying close attention is PokerFuse. com, who quoted PokerStars Head of Game Integrity, Francis Lincoln, “We needed to get ahead of the curve and ensure we had the tools necessary to fight the existential threat to online poker.”

PokerStars has stopped short of explaining its methods.

PokerFuse’s Nick Jones also reported that GG Poker has upgraded its RTA detection, resulting in 13 accounts banned and $1.2 million confiscated. Another 27 accounts were banned (without confiscated funds), and 40 others were warned.

"Through this process, we can quickly establish whether GTO Poker play has occurred,” Jones tweeted on September 30. “Once we have made this determination, we look at a variety of other factors to determine whether said GTO play involved the use of RTA."

Around the Watercooler

Social media conversations, rumors, and gossip.

Ozempic, a type 2 diabetes drug that has gained attention for its weight loss properties, came up at G2E during a responsible gambling discussion.

As it turns out, research indicates it curbs gambling.

The reason? As far as I can tell, is that obesity is linked to problem gambling.

Casino.org tackled this topic in a recent article, noting that Bank of America analyst Shaun Kelly said, “This implies the usage of GLP-1 could create a 0-4% revenue headwind for US commercial gaming with higher risk for slot machines or regional gaming,” wrote Kelley.”

Interestingly, some medications are linked to increases in problem gambling.

Stray Thoughts

In my previous life (the late 1990s and early 2000s), I was a personal trainer and later managed health clubs. I’ve seen a lot of weight loss products and fitness crazes come and go. The products go for one of two reasons:

They don’t work
They have nasty side effects

Ozempic and similar drugs may cause weight loss, but let’s wait and see what the long-term effects are. I’ve already heard some chatter that Ozempic weight loss can come with some unpleasant side effects. And then there is the million-dollar question: what happens if/when you stop taking it?