The American Gaming Association released a new set of self-regulations on advertising and marketing legal sports betting. The new “Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering” was released on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
AGA’s code, developed in coordination with its members, extends commitments made by individual companies through their own responsible marketing activities and those adhered to by all association members through the Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct. The new code includes self-imposed restrictions on target audiences, outlets and materials branding, while mandating responsible gaming inclusion. The tenets of the code apply to traditional and digital media marketing activity.
“For several years, the gaming industry has been committed to driving the illegal market out of business for the benefit of consumers, state and local economies and the integrity of both games and bets,” said Bill Miller, president and chief executive officer of the American Gaming Association. “The gaming industry has an obligation to extend our decades-long commitment to responsibility to this growing sector, and that’s exactly what this effort codifies.
“We are setting a high bar for sports betting advertising and will continue to ensure that everyone involved in the expansion of legalized sports betting across the country—gaming operators, sports leagues and teams, broadcasters and other businesses—rise to this standard.”
One part of the code calls for AGA members to be vigilant in only advertising sports betting products to adults. No cartoon characters, music or entertainers that appeal primarily to children are to be used in advertising, and media outlets and venues aimed at children under 18 are to be avoided.
Since PASPA was overturned, the breadth of business interests engaged in the sports betting ecosystem has expanded significantly. This code is a part of a continual effort by AGA to discourage illegal gambling, including the for-profit promotion of illegal, offshore operators.
AGA’s new code comes amidst the rapid expansion of legal markets across the country. Since PASPA was overturned in May 2018, seven new states began offering single-game legal sports betting. Six more states and the District of Columbia have authorized legal markets, and dozens more have introduced legislation to legalize and regulate sports betting.
In the past year, nearly $8 billion has been legally wagered on sports nationwide, $3 billion of which was wagered outside of Nevada. Post-PASPA, legal sports betting has generated $55.3 million in new state and local tax revenue.
According to a report last year from Evercore ISI, sports betting could create up to $7 billion in incremental advertising this year.
