UNLV IGI awards 2025 ESPN fellowships for research on responsible gambling in sports media

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute (IGI) has announced the recipients of the 2025 ESPN Research Fellowships. This year's cohort features a group of scholars whose proposals seek to advance understanding of responsible gambling messaging in sports media and its implications for consumer well-being.

Fellowship recipients include Dr. Brandon Mastromartino, Dr. Chris R. Noland, Dr. Ramon Silva Leite, and Dr. Sarah Stokowski.

Dr. Brandon Mastromartino is a Director of the Institute on Sports Wagering and Gaming and Assistant Professor of Experiential Marketing at the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, San Diego State University. Dr. Mastromartino's project will evaluate two of the NFL's responsible gambling PSAs using a fan-centered marketing framework.

Dr. Chris R. Noland is an Assistant Professor of Advertising at the University of South Florida's Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications. Dr. Noland will examine the influence of celebrity endorsements and promotional inducements in Instagram advertisements on online sports betting behavior.

Dr. Ramon Silva Leite is a Professor in the Postgraduate Program in Management at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Dr. Silva's project will investigate how responsible gambling messages are constructed and delivered through sports media, and how young sports bettors perceive and respond to them.

Dr. Sarah Stokowski is an Associate Professor of Athletic Leadership at Clemson University's Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development. Dr. Stokowski will investigate how college student-athletes perceive and interact with sports betting content on social media.

These projects aim to provide insights into practical strategies that policymakers and the industry can adopt to help safeguard the well-being of sports bettors and the public at large.

"IGI is tremendously proud of the work our previous Fellowships produced. A key goal of this initiative is to support innovative and impactful research to better understand the rapidly changing global sports and betting environment," said Dr. Kasra Ghaharian, Director of Research at IGI.

"This research represents critical perspectives on how gambling is represented in sports media and holds important implications for all gambling stakeholders."

"Responsible gaming continues to be a priority for ESPN, and we are proud to continue our collaboration with IGI to support research that delivers real-world impact," said Kevin Martinez, Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship.

"These new projects will provide valuable insights into how responsible gaming messages can be delivered effectively across sports media and help strengthen standards that protect fans everywhere."

Each research fellowship lasts six months. Research results will be featured in an IGI webinar in 2026.