How WVU’s Research Centre is shaping iGaming’s future workforce
When West Virginia legalised sports betting in 2018, it joined a wave of US states opening their doors to regulated gambling. But while many states were busy launching retail and mobile sportsbooks, West Virginia took an additional step that may prove to have a longer-lasting impact.
The Gaming Development and Research Centre at West Virginia University (WVU) has been established to analyse transaction-level gambling data and provide independent research into responsible play, regulation, and workforce development. For an industry that has often been criticised for lacking transparency, the initiative could represent a real turning point.
From legislation to research hub
Professor Brad Humphreys, an economist at WVU’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics, spoke exclusively to SiGMA News to explain how the centre came about: “In 2018, there was a change in the gambling regulations that basically made individual states in charge of deciding what sort of gambling they would allow.
“West Virginia legalised sports betting almost immediately. We also have iGaming and retail casinos, so the state gets quite a bit of tax revenue from the industry. The state is also interested in promoting responsible gambling through research which helps to understand the determinants of responsible and irresponsible gambling.”
To make that research possible, the state legislature passed a law requiring all licensed operators to provide WVU with transaction-level data on every single bet placed in the state.
“That is the sort of data that’s needed to really understand the determinants of responsible gambling,” Humphreys noted, “It also requires partnership with the operators, and involved in the process is the West Virginia Lottery Corporation, the regulator of all forms of gambling in the state.”
Why data matters
Access to real-time betting data sets the WVU centre apart from other university programmes. New Jersey has a similar arrangement, but Humphreys believes the academic diligence in West Virginia will push the research further:
“We are unique in that our research is rigorous enough to be suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals.”
The goal is to move beyond descriptive reports and generate credible insights that can shape policy, improve player protection, and inform operators about patterns in play.
Industry backing and independent research
While WVU provides the academic backbone, the centre is donation-funded and supported by industry groups, but with safeguards around independence.
“We’re not doing the research the industry tells us to do,” Humphreys said. “We’re doing independent research that does not accept any donations with strings attached. We’re also actively seeking external research funds from organisations like Arnold Ventures, who are interested in funding research on the societal consequences of legalised sports betting in the United States.”
For Ben Truman, gambling industry veteran and a WVU graduate, that combination of academic independence and industry collaboration is what drew him in, “I got involved because it was the first time a state was mandating that operators turn that data over to a university via the regulator. UNLV, Rotterdam, New Jersey, they have to go to the operator and ask. Here, the operator is mandated. And number two, the university is fully behind this. They see it as the future.”
Building talent for the industry
The Centre’s mission extends far beyond research. By integrating gaming into WVU’s curriculum, the university hopes to train a new generation of professionals with the skills needed across the sector.
Humphreys explained, “We are engaged in outreach where we want to put content into business courses related to the iGaming industry. We have a business data analytics programme, and cybersecurity courses will likely be integrating gaming-related material. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity to not just do research on responsible gaming, but to train the highly skilled employees that many organisations in the industry need.
Truman added that this holistic approach includes athletes, hospitality students, and future technologists, “We’re focusing on the upcoming generation and saying, look, this industry isn’t about stepping into a casino. This is cybersecurity, AI, KYC, marketing. We’re looking at it as a holistic thing at the Centre. And we’re already putting students into internships with industry partners.”
Why it matters for operators and regulators
For operators, regulators, and suppliers, initiatives like the WVU Gaming Development and Research Centre are more than academic exercises. They create a pipeline of skilled workers, improve understanding of player behaviour, and provide independent analysis that can inform sustainable regulation.
Humphreys summed it up, “Through the development programme, we believe the university is well positioned to provide not just insights, but also the talent that the industry needs.”
The Centre is not only analysing data, it is laying the foundation for a sustainable gambling workforce. With few formal training routes into the industry, WVU’s model could transform the quality of employees entering the market and give operators access to talent that is both academically trained and industry-ready; something that has, to date, been hard to come by for employers in the sector.
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