Better Gambling Forum Teams Up with SBC for Strategic Collaboration on Player Protection

This partnership will utilize SBC’s event and media platforms to boost engagement with BGF’s Responsible Gambling 3.0 framework, emphasizing the translation of policy and research into tangible, real-world applications for operators, regulators, and health systems.

BGF Chair Shawn Fluharty commented: “The Better Gambling Forum is dedicated to converting evidence into actionable steps. Via our Responsible Gambling 3.0 framework and independent scientific supervision, we’re assisting policymakers, regulators, and operators in moving past good intentions to adopt solutions that effectively minimize harm. 

“Our next phase of work centers on scaling up and ensuring consistency—developing practical, evidence-based standards that foster a safer, more sustainable gambling ecosystem for players, the industry, and society as a whole. We’re thrilled to collaborate with SBC to expand our reach at their Americas Summit and in future initiatives.”

As part of this collaboration, BGF and SBC will host a flagship panel at SBC Summit Americas (June 9–11) that explores how to create a modern public health response to problem gambling, while also encouraging healthier interactions with the gambling industry.

The session will bring together leaders across public health, policy, industry, and digital platforms, including:

• Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. Congressman; national leader on mental health and
  addiction;
• Dr Nathan Carroll, National Medical Director at InSite Health; Member, American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Digital Health, Innovation, and Technology;
• Toby Ewing, Stanford School of Medicine; Brain Capital Advisor; and former Executive Director, California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission;
• Paul Pellizzari, Vice President – Global Social Responsibility, Hard Rock International; 
• Dr Eraka Bath, Professor of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA.  

This Summit session marks the first in a series of discussions across SBC’s events and media channels—including the Player Protection Hub—that seek to promote and globalize BGF’s mission of developing practical legislative and operational frameworks to support a truly safe and sustainable gambling ecosystem. 

SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron said: “Over the past few years, we’ve made significant progress with our online Player Protection Hub and Player Protection Symposiums held in Lisbon, Florida, and Toronto. We aim for these channels to accelerate BGF’s efforts, and for SBC to contribute to driving real, positive, and practical advancements in an industry that’s widely recognized as highly innovative—let’s ensure it’s also safe and sustainable for all.”

The panel, along with future discussions, will delve into practical next steps, including early-stage policy development, intervention models, integration with wider behavioral health systems, the impact of digital platforms on behavior, and how the industry can unify around consistent player protection standards.

Notably, BGF’s work is supervised by an independent Scientific Oversight Committee, composed of eight global academics with expertise in gambling. The committee’s objective is to ensure BGF’s work is firmly rooted in evidence, ethical principles, and best practices.

The panel is part of a robust lineup of safer gambling content at SBC Summit Americas, which includes a dedicated Player Protection Symposium on the breakout stage showcasing some of the most prominent and influential thought leaders from North and South America.