Harvard Medical School Affiliate’s Scope Includes, Staff Training, Strategic Consulting and Research
BOSTON, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) today announced that they have entered into a strategic consulting agreement with the Division on Addiction (Division) at Cambridge Health Alliance, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. In coordination with the DraftKings Responsible Gaming team, the Division will create an innovative systems-based safer play approach to training employees across the business in responsible gaming, including a logic model, conceptual map, needs assessment schedule, and evaluation plan. Systems-based safer play describes a method that includes approaches to training, business practices, and player resources that recognize and respond to the larger context of the gaming environment and its interacting elements.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance to expand our research-driven approach to responsible gaming,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings’ co-founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board. “Evidence-based and data driven strategies, created in coordination with CHA’s premier researchers, will enhance our player safety policies, product tools and employee trainings.”
In 2016, the Division pursued research on daily fantasy sports play enjoying unfettered access to anonymized DraftKings customer data to better understand responsible play. This research collaboration yielded academic presentations at international conferences and peer-reviewed articles published in Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Gambling Studies, Journal of Sport & Social Issues, and Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, which offered seminal observations of daily fantasy sports play. In addition, the collaboration provided feedback opportunities to DraftKings to aid in the company’s commitment to providing a safe environment for its players.
“We look forward to continuing our engagement with DraftKings on these strategic consulting, training, and dissemination activities and believe that this work will break new ground in responsible gaming,” said Debi LaPlante, PhD, Principal Investigator, Director of the Division, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “Sharing scientific knowledge with DraftKings to advance new responsible business processes will help players at risk of gaming-related problems. With the rapid expansion of sports betting across the United States, this is the perfect time to build actionable and evidence-based strategies for DraftKings.”
DraftKings’ responsible gaming mission is to mitigate harm and protect vulnerable populations using groundbreaking technology, providing training and resources for employees and consumers, and by supporting evidence-based research. DraftKings provides responsible gaming tools for customers including: limit setting, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion. DraftKings is a contributor to the International Center for Responsible Gaming’s Fund to Support Research on Sports Wagering. DraftKings is also a member of the American Gaming Association (AGA) and recently announced the implementation of the AGA’s Have A Game Plan. ® Bet Responsibly™ public service campaign in its retail sportsbooks across the country.
To learn more about DraftKings’ commitment to responsible gaming and to advancing social innovation around the world, please visit DraftKings S.E.R.V.E.S.
About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirit of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for 50+ operators in 17 countries. DraftKings’ Sportsbook is live with mobile and/or retail betting operations in the United States pursuant to regulations in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 7 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is the official daily fantasy partner of the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA TOUR and UFC as well as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA and MLB, an official betting operator of the PGA TOUR and the official betting operator of UFC. DraftKings also owns Vegas Sports Information Network, Inc. (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast and content company.
About Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge Health Alliance is an innovative healthcare system and a Harvard Teaching Hospital serving the communities north of Boston, Massachusetts and producing research including through the Division on Addiction. The mission of the Division on Addiction is to alleviate addiction-related social, medical, and economic burdens through research, education, training, and outreach. The Division was founded at the Harvard Medical School more than 25 years ago, in 1992, and is part of the Department of Psychiatry at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. The Division’s faculty and staff come from diverse professional backgrounds helping to expand understanding, prevention, and treatment of addiction.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Media Contact
DraftKings:
media@draftkings.com
@DraftKingsNews
Cambridge Health Alliance:
dcecere@challiance.org
