The Colorado sportsbook market is 18 months old, one of the most successful sports betting markets in the country. But already some people are tired of the proliferation of sportsbook ads. And some of them are people who make the laws.
There are 25 digital platforms and 17 retail sportsbooks operating in the Centennial state, which means that at almost any time of day you are likely to be exposed to an ad from one of them.
Colorado House Speaker Alec Garnett spoke for many on September 28 when he declared, “I thought that there was going to be at least some type of slowdown.” He told the Denver Westword: “We haven’t really seen that, and I have seen a big uptick in the number of complaints from the public that we’ve been having about the amount of sportsbook advertising.” This is significant since The Speaker sponsored the sports betting bill.
Some feel that sports betting, if not properly managed, will increase problem gambling in the state.
Brianne Doura-Schawhol, vice president for U.S. policy and strategic development at EPIC Risk Management told CO Bets: “There is a real risk if advertising isn’t managed appropriately.”
Content is import, but so is the number of ads, she said. “An overabundance of advertising could negatively expedite the normalization of gambling participation. It could cause harm by influencing folks who shouldn’t be gambling.”
In Europe, which has a much more mature sports betting market, ads have been subject to strict regulating for many years and that trend is on the rise in Sweden, just to name one country.
Colorado Division of Gaming Director Dan Hartman, whose agency regulates gaming in the state has some friendly advice for operators: self-discipline. He told Westword: “It’s probably best that you all look at what you’re doing, because you really don’t want it regulated. You want to be able to operate in the free market and do what you’re doing.”
