Gambling & Risk Taking Conference Returns to Bellagio Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – The 19th International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking will return to Bellagio Las Vegas from May 26 to 28.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The event will bring together researchers, regulators, gambling executives and academics for three days of discussion around sports betting, artificial intelligence and gambling policy.
The conference will take place from May 26 to 28 at Bellagio Resort & Casino. Organisers describe the event as the world’s largest and longest-running gambling research conference, with attendees expected from across the gambling industry, government, academia and treatment sectors.
Founded in 1974 by gambling researcher Dr. Bill Eadington, the conference is held once every three years and has become one of the gambling sector’s main forums for research and policy discussion. The previous edition in 2023 drew around 500 attendees from 25 countries and covered subjects including economics, public policy, mathematics, psychology and harm prevention.
AI and Sports Betting Set to Feature Heavily
This year’s agenda reflects how quickly artificial intelligence and sports betting are reshaping gambling markets worldwide.
One of the headline sessions, “Candid Conversations: Sports Betting”, will feature Chad Millman, co-founder of The Action Network, alongside ESPN betting analyst Pamela Maldonado. The discussion will examine sports betting trends, market behaviour and the relationship between media, wagering data and betting products.
Dr. Brett Abarbanel, Executive Director of the UNLV International Gaming Institute, said the event continues adapting alongside wider industry changes.
The conference continues to evolve alongside the gambling and risk-taking ecosystem, bringing together leading voices to explore not only where each discipline is today, but where it is headed.
Artificial intelligence will also be a major topic across several sessions. Presentations will include findings from KPMG’s “State of AI in Gaming 2026” report, based on a survey of 83 gambling companies, alongside discussions around AI governance, regulation and behavioural design.
The AI focus also follows recent UNLV research on weak governance across the gambling industry, which found that companies are moving quickly on AI while still facing gaps in oversight and risk controls. That makes the conference’s regulation and AI sessions especially relevant for operators, suppliers and policymakers.
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Sessions to Examine Regulation and Industry Change
Several panels will focus on how gambling regulation is adapting to emerging technology and new betting formats.
A “Regulatory Pulse” session will explore global regulator attitudes toward AI governance and oversight gaps. Researchers and industry speakers will also examine how startups are reshaping gaming through AI, gamification and fintech integration.
Another panel, titled “The Three Gs: Gamification, Gamblification, & Golf”, will look at the growing connection between golf entertainment venues, skill-based technology and sports betting integration. Speakers include representatives from DraftKings, Evenplay and nVenue.
The conference will also include an interactive workshop dedicated to the evolving role of AI in gambling. Participants will rotate through themed discussion tables led by industry, research and regulatory experts.
Bellagio Event Continues Long-Running Gambling Research Tradition
The final day of the conference will shift beyond gambling products and regulation into wider entertainment-sector risk-taking. A keynote discussion titled “Risk Taking in Arts & Entertainment” will feature White Horse Pictures co-president Jeanne Elfant Festa and Smith Center president and CEO Myron Martin.
The broader theme reflects how the conference has historically combined gambling-specific research with wider discussions around risk, consumer behaviour and entertainment economics.
For the Las Vegas gaming sector, the event also reinforces the city’s role as a centre for gambling research and policy debate alongside its casino operations and entertainment business.
The conference opens May 26 with an opening session led by Brett Abarbanel at the Bellagio Ballroom.
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