U.S. Sports Leagues Form Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising

• The major U.S. sports leagues today announced a coalition to ensure a responsible approach to sports betting advertising
• The NFL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, WNBA, NHL, NBCUniversal, and FOX are members of the coalition
• The coalition will maintain consumer protection policies consistent with  six principles

The major sports leagues in the United States today announced the formation of a coalition to ensure a responsible approach to sports betting advertisements and marketing.

The coalition formation comes at a time when sports betting advertising and marketing principles are coming under fire nationally and federal lawmakers are considering stringent restrictions, and a potential outright ban, on sports betting ads.

Ensuring Responsible Approach to Advertising

The Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising is a voluntary association of sports leagues and media entities that will work to ensure a responsible approach to sports betting advertising, according to a press release.

The NFL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, WNBA, NHL, NBCUniversal, and FOX announced the joint formation of the coalition this morning.

The members of the coalition will implement and maintain consumer protection policies based on the following six principles:

• Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age
• Sports betting advertising should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience
• Sports betting advertisements should not be misleading
• Sports betting advertisements should be in good taste
• Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising
• Publishers should review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting advertising

The glut of sports betting advertisements and marketing in the country has come under scrutiny in the past year. Several states, including Ohio and Massachusetts, have levied massive fines to sports betting operators that have failed to adhere to state regulations regarding sports betting marketing or advertisements.

Within its first month of sports betting operation in Ohio, the casino control commission levied close to $500,000 in fines for operators that did not adhere to sports betting advertising regulations.

Sports Betting Marketing a Federal Issue?

Earlier this year, Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) introduced a bill to ban all online and electronic advertising for sports betting.

The “Betting on our Future Act” seeks to prohibit advertising of sportsbooks on any medium of electronic communication. The bill is modeled after the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, which banned tobacco advertisement in a similar fashion.

While the bill did not gain much momentum in Congress, it showed the promulgation of sports betting advertising and marketing was certainly on the radar for federal lawmakers.

“As the legalization of sports betting spreads nationwide, we feel it is critical to establish guardrails around how sports betting should be advertised to consumers across the United States. Each member of the coalition feels a responsibility to ensure sports betting advertising is not only targeted to an appropriate audience, but also that the message is thoughtfully crafted and carefully delivered,” the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising said in a joint statement.