Better Gambling Forum and SBC unveil strategic partnership

(AsiaGameHub) –   The Better Gambling Forum (BGF) and SBC Events & Media have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at advancing a practical, scalable approach to player protection across North America and other global regions.

This partnership will leverage SBC’s events and media platforms to boost participation and engagement with BGF’s Responsible Gambling 3.0 framework, with a core focus on converting policy guidance and research insights into real-world application for gambling operators, regulatory bodies, and health systems.

BGF Chair Shawn Fluharty stated: “The Better Gambling Forum is dedicated to turning empirical evidence into actionable steps. Backed by our Responsible Gambling 3.0 framework and independent scientific oversight, we are supporting policymakers, regulators and operators to move beyond well-meaning intentions and adopt solutions that deliver genuine reductions in gambling-related harm.

“The next phase of our work centers on scalability and consistency: developing practical, evidence-led standards that support a safer, more sustainable gambling ecosystem for players, the industry, and wider society as a whole. We are thrilled to partner with SBC to expand our reach at their Americas Summit and in future initiatives.”

As part of the collaboration, BGF and SBC will host a flagship panel session at SBC Summit Americas (taking place June 9–11) that explores how to build a modern public health response to problem gambling, while also encouraging more responsible engagement with the gambling industry.

The session will bring together leading figures across public health, policy, the gambling industry, and digital platform spaces, including:

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

This Summit session is the first in a series of discussions hosted across SBC’s events and media channels – including the Player Protection Hub – that aim to raise awareness of and internationalize BGF’s mission to build practical legislative and operational frameworks that support a truly safe and sustainable gambling ecosystem.

SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron said: “We have made significant progress in recent years with our online Player Protection Hub, as well as Player Protection Symposiums held in Lisbon, Florida and Toronto. We hope these channels can accelerate BGF’s work, and that SBC can play its part in delivering real, positive and practical progress for an industry widely known for its huge innovative potential – let us ensure it is also safe and sustainable for everyone involved.”

This panel, alongside future planned discussions, will explore actionable paths forward, covering early policy design, intervention models, integration with wider behavioral health systems, the role of digital platforms in shaping user behavior, and how the industry can align around consistent, unified player protection standards.

Notably, BGF’s work is overseen by an independent Scientific Oversight Committee, made up of eight academics with specialized gambling expertise from across the globe. The committee’s core goal is to ensure all BGF initiatives are firmly rooted in evidence, ethical guidelines, and industry best practices. This panel is part of a robust lineup of safer gambling content at SBC Summit Americas, which also includes a dedicated Player Protection Symposium on the breakout stage featuring some of the most prominent and influential thought leaders from across North and South America.