LAS VEGAS (April 20, 2026) – The 19th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking will bring together leading researchers, policymakers and industry professionals to explore the forces shaping gambling, gaming and risk behavior. Hosted by UNLV International Gaming Institute, the conference has announced its first slate of academic presentations, along with a keynote from MIT Professor Anette “Peko” Hosoi, examining the role of skill and luck in sports and other activities.
Attendees will hear from a global lineup of experts examining artificial intelligence, sports betting, responsible gambling, evolving regulatory frameworks and more. The Conference takes place May 26–28 at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Click here to register for the conference and to view the full lineup
Dr. Hosoi will take the stage Tuesday, May 26, as the first academic keynote speaker at the conference in over a decade. Widely recognized for her work analyzing sports, she has applied her mathematical framework to professional sports, fantasy sports, cyclocross racing, coin flipping and mutual funds, illustrating where each falls on the skill-luck spectrum.
“The mathematical principles of game design present many exciting opportunities to shift the balance of skill and luck in games and other contests,” said Hosoi. “I’m very much looking forward to sharing some of our insights in this space, and to interacting with the conference attendees and with the stellar line-up of speakers.”
Highlights from other presentations include the following, with more to be announced in the coming weeks:
- Tuesday, May 26
- Real-Time AI for Predictive Responsible Gambling Using Live Wagering Transaction Data featuring Earle Hall, president and CEO of AXES.ai. Mr. Hall will describe an AI system that monitors live betting behavior to detect risky gambling patterns in real time to better identify moments for responsible gambling interventions.
- Why Courts and Congress Should but Won’t Outlaw Prediction Markets – I. Nelson Rose, professor emeritus at Whittier College, will examine whether prediction markets should be treated differently from gambling under current laws and will explore regulatory challenges and potential effects on state-controlled gambling.
- The 1,500-foot Wall: Barriers between Cannabis and Gaming in Nevada and the Potential for Integration – Riana Durrett, executive director of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, and Robin Goldstein, director of the UC Davis Cannabis Economics Group, will review statutory and regulatory barriers that separate cannabis and gaming businesses and explore potential policy alternatives for integration. The talk will cover the history of these barriers, stakeholder perspectives and their impacts such as limiting legal cannabis sales on the Strip, driving unlicensed sales and affecting profitability for cannabis businesses and gaming revenue.
- Wednesday, May 27
- Risk Governance in Esports Gambling: Addressing Integrity and Regulation in a Rapidly Evolving Ecosystem – Professors Tobias Scholz, Rune Andersen, Joseph Macey, and Nepomuk Nothelfer of University of Agder will examine how public and private partners can work together to ensure fair competition and protect consumers. The presentation will highlight risks such as match-fixing, underage participation and unregulated betting in esports gambling in Europe.
- An In-Depth Analysis of Slot Machine Vlogs on YouTube – Tiange Xu, postdoctoral researcher at UNLV will examine how gambling vlogs on social media shape audience engagement and perceptions of gambling. Analyzing relevant YouTube videos and comments, the study finds responsible gambling messaging appears in fewer than 10% of videos but is linked to higher engagement. The research also identifies key content themes and viewer behaviors, offering new insight into this growing and influential media channel.
- Thursday, May 28
- Beat the Sportsbook: The Theory and Practice of Successful Sports Betting – Robert Scott, professor and endowed chair at Monmouth University, and Mikhail Sher will explore strategies that could help bettors improve their chances of positive returns. The discussion will also highlight trends in U.S. sports betting, including its appeal to younger and more affluent players.
- Math, Data and Cognitive Bias: Educating Teens to Make Informed Decisions About Gambling – Arty Smith, founder of the Gambling Awareness Initiative, will introduce a program designed to educate teens about the risks of sports gambling through data, probability and cognitive-bias research. The session highlights how simulations and expected-value visualizations help participants understand odds and long-term outcomes as well as how applied statistical reasoning can empower teens to recognize and resist harmful gambling behaviors.
Official programming, speakers and schedules are available at https://bit.ly/19gconfevent and will be updated regularly.