Accomplishments: William F. Harrah College of Hospitality

Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute, Hospitality) published a book chapter entitled, "Manipulation in Esports" in the "Palgrave Handbook on the Economics of Manipulation in Sport." The book examines manipulation in sport through the lens of economics, bringing light to the various ways benefits can be gained from rule and…
Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute; Hospitality) gave the keynote address at the 2024 Esports Research Network Conference in London, UK. Her keynote, titled, "The Bettor Part of Valor(ant)," explored the interconnectedness between gambling, gaming, and esports, and where research can support a sustainable future for esports’…
Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute; Hospitality) featured in Bloomberg TV's Chief Future Officer, which profiles how CFOs now play a critical role in shaping corporate strategy and positioning organizations to meet future challenges. This episode explored sports betting business and DraftKings CFO, Alan Ellingson.
Bobbie Barnes (Hospitality), Joanne Ullman (Psychology), Jenna Heath (Liberal Arts) and Melikabella Shenouda (Liberal Arts) have published an article titled "Educating the Educators: Preparing Faculty to Teach Career Readiness; a literature review" in Research Square. The article focuses on the demands for universities to equip students with…
Samuel Lee and Mehmet Erdem (both Hospitality) have recently published their study, "Exploring the consequences of automation in the post-pandemic era: hotel labor woes," in the journal, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. The study provides an overview of challenges and opportunities presented by the increasingly prevalent…
Nevada Secretary of State Francisco V. Aguilar reappointed Tammi Tiger (Hospitality) to the Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy. ACPD makes recommendations concerning programs, activities, and events that promote citizen participation in governance, and may support project by national, state, and local entities that encourage and advance…
Tammi Tiger (Hospitality), Choctaw, was part of a collective that presented "Beyond Land Acknowledgement to Action: Relationship Building with Nevada's Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities" at the Southern Nevada Diversity Summit. Other presenters included Director of Nevada Department of Native American Affairs and Northern Paiute…
Marta Soligo (Economic Development), director of tourism research, and Tammi Tiger (Hospitality), director of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Tribal Education Initiative) presented: Building Destinations: Tribal Tourism & Economic Development on a panel together at the Tribal Leadership & Management Conference 2024.
Scholars working on research at the International Gaming Institute presented four posters at the 25th annual International Center for Responsible Gambling (ICRG) Conference on Sunday, October 6, 2024.  Samantha Wells (Learning & Technology) presented her work on using LLM-based chatbots for supporting responsible gambling education.…
Marta Soligo (Hospitality) was interviewed by USA Today about tourist taxes. While reflecting on the effectiveness of tourist fees, she spoke about the climate crisis as a global phenomenon, the risk of not-so-successful “Band-Aid” approaches, and the importance of including Indigenous knowledge in land management practices. 
Renata F. Guzzo, Jaimi Garlington, Carola Raab, and Amanda Belarmino (all Hospitality) published the article "How do online meal delivery platforms impact restaurant employees?" in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research. The study surveyed 279 front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant employees to…
For the fourth year in a row, Jungsun (Sunny) Kim (Hospitality) has been recognized as one of the top 2% of Sports, Leisure, and Tourism Scholars in the world based on Scopus data provided by Elsevier. This prestigious list identifies the world's leading researchers, representing approximately 2% of all scientists worldwide. It…