Underdog Adds Birches Health Care Pathways to Responsible Play Hub

Underdog announced a partnership with Birches Health on 22 सितंबर 2026, that will place responsible gaming education and streamlined, confidential pathways to specialized gambling-disorder care inside the Responsible Play hub of the Underdog app, according to a company release issued out of New York.

The release, distributed at 11:48 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, described Birches Health as the national leader in specialized gambling disorder treatment and said the partnership is intended to continue expanding Underdog’s responsible play resources and consumer protection measures. According to the release, Birches Health offers evidence-based care from licensed clinicians trained in gambling-specific treatment through the International Problem Gambling & Gaming Certification Organization, known as the IPGGC, which the company called the international gold standard for gambling and gaming counseling.

“This is a meaningful development in progressing how we address player well-being and protection for those utilizing our platform,” said Frank Vaccaro, senior manager of responsible gaming operations at Underdog. “By partnering with Birches Health, our players will have access to a direct line to specialized, confidential care from real clinicians if they need it.”

The Existing Responsible Play Framework

The release said responsible play remains a core part of how Underdog builds its products, pointing to the dedicated Responsible Play hub available across all of them. The hub gives players tools including deposit and spending limits, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion options, as well as educational resources and support. Underdog said the partnership builds on that foundation, giving it a direct resource for players whose needs go beyond tools and information.

Underdog’s responsible gaming resources page states that users can set responsible gaming limits on deposits, contest entries and entry fees, and that they can self-exclude or cool off directly from the product. In accordance with state requirements, the company restricts deposits for customers physically located in Massachusetts, where the monthly limit is $1,000; Maryland, where it is $5,000; and Tennessee, where it is $2,500. The page states that those state limitations are enforced if exceeded regardless of a user’s own settings, and that the limits can change upon further documentation from the customer.

The same page directs users with questions or concerns about their own gaming behavior, or that of a friend or family member, to the National Council on Problem Gambling and its 24-hour confidential national helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET. It also lists state-specific resources for Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, including Arizona’s statewide helpline at 1-800-NEXT-STEP, the 1-800-GAMBLER lines for Colorado and Maryland, and New York’s HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY.

Underdog states that it verifies all accounts for age and eligibility, and it advises customers to consider parental-control software if minors living in the household have access to a computer, account information, personal information or banking information.

The GuardDog Innovation Fund

Underdog also operates GuardDog, a Responsible Gaming Innovation Fund that invests in the prevention, detection and treatment of problem gaming. According to its page, the fund supports responsible gaming startups with monetary investment from Underdog, fast-track integration into the Underdog ecosystem and introductions to investors and advisors.

Listed GuardDog investments include idPair, which Underdog describes as aiming to reduce high-risk activity across the gaming industry, and Regen, which lets users link fantasy sports and prediction market accounts and automatically set aside a small percentage of every entry. Listed mentors include Adam Warrington, vice president of responsible gaming at Underdog; responsible gaming advocate Brianne Doura-Schawohl; Chris Grove, a partner at Acies Investments; Dan Hartman, a former director of the Colorado Division of Gaming; and Sara Tait, a former executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Birches Health’s Care Model

The release described Birches Health as the leading national clinical provider of specialized treatment for gambling addiction, covered by insurance and state funding, with a mission to provide convenient, comprehensive care and resources for people facing challenges related to gambling addiction and other behavioral addictions.

On its partners page, Birches Health states that its treatment program is virtual and confidential, that it is covered by leading national insurers with many patients paying $0 for treatment, and that it operates what it calls the largest national network of gambling-certified providers, available across all 50 states. The company reports that its clients see an 81% decrease in problem behaviors after nine appointments and that 96% of patients feel an increase in quality of life, as measured by patients’ G-SAS scores; it notes that the measured population includes moderate to severely depressed patients as defined by PHQ-9 scores at intake.

For gaming-company partners, Birches Health says it provides education, trainings, direct referral pathways, early intervention and compliance support.

“Access to specialized education and streamlined, insurance-covered care pathways is crucial for player engagement,” said Elliott Rapaport, founder and CEO of Birches Health. “We are excited to support Underdog in scaling robust consumer protections across their products.”

Underdog was founded in 2020 and offers sports prediction markets, fantasy sports games and a breaking-news operation.