To coincide with the with the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the American Gaming Association released a new set of self-regulations Tuesday on the advertising and marketing of legal sports betting.
The AGA’s “Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering,” developed in coordination with the trade group’s members, extends previous commitments made by individual companies through their own responsible marketing activities and those currently adhered to by all association members.
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 both traditional and digital media marketing activity.
AGA CEO Bill Miller said in a statement that the code is part of the organization’s continual effort to discourage illegal gambling, including the for-profit promotion of illegal, offshore operators.
“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,” Miller said. “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.”
Since PASPA was overturned, the breadth of business interests engaged in the sports betting ecosystem has expanded significantly.
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 have begun 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.
