UNLV report assesses harm of sports betting ads, illegal sites
UNLV’S International Gaming Institute has issued a report recommending that sports wagering companies not market to vulnerable populations with advertising and that the media not cite illegal offshore gambling sites in their stories unless they are identified as illegal.
“The Marketing Moment: Sports, Wagering, and Advertising in the United States” was distributed this week and is accessible on the institute’s website.
It was authored by institute members Jennifer Shatley, Kasra Ghaharian, Bo Bernhard, Alan Feldman and Becky Harris. The report was sponsored by the foundation of international sports betting company Entain based on the Isle of Man, but all research was conducted by institute members, and report results were not reviewed by Entain before publication.
Among the report’s findings:
■ Sports gambling operators should ensure that their advertising does not target vulnerable populations, particularly young people and those with gambling problems. The report notes that social media platforms provide gambling operators and sports teams with a powerful vehicle to communicate with their customers and fans, and it suggests that restrictions pertaining to sports wagering messaging should be put in place with platforms particularly popular among underage groups, such as Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat.
■ Media outlets should cease referring to illegal gambling sites as reputable outlets. If a news story cites an illegal gambling outlet, it should say so explicitly. If an illegal site is mentioned, the public should also be made aware that these illegal outlets lack regulatory oversight, consumer protections and responsible gambling programs.
■ The industry should ensure that its messaging adheres to established best practices — and, in addition to learning from the experience of other countries with a history of legalized sports wagering, the American Gaming Association’s Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering
is a good place to start.
One of the report’s authors said the timing of its release coincides with the massive expansion of mobile sports wagering across the United States.
POST-COVID behavior
“We are entering a new era of changing behavior POST-COVID. We are all ‘gamers’ now, having increased our game play during the pandemic, and as we emerge, a renewed commitment to wellness is vital,” said Bernhard, the institute’s executive director.
“Crucially, this includes a renewed commitment to report responsibly on illegal gambling websites and to eliminate irresponsible messaging that harms younger populations and those with gambling problems,” he said.
Key sections of the report focused on discouraging sports betting companies from marketing directly to underage players.
“Generally, U.S. regulations for sports wagering advertising fall into three main categories: responsible gambling messaging, target audience, and content,” the report says.
“From a responsible gambling messaging perspective, all sports wagering advertising regulations require that the jurisdiction’s tollfree problem gambling helpline be featured on marketing materials, across a variety of media, and/or displayed on the online/mobile wagering site,” the report says.
“Furthermore, regulations typically prohibit marketing that targets vulnerable populations, such as individuals on self-exclusion lists and those below the legal age to gamble.”