Media and sports leagues form responsible sports betting ads body
The body comprises some of the most significant sporting leagues in the country including the NFL, the MLB, NASCAR, Major League Soccer, the NBA, the Women’s NBA and the NHL, in addition to media organisations NBC Universal and Fox.
“As the legalisation 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,” said the coalition in a joint statement.
“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.”
Consumer protection principles
The group said that it has committed to implementing and maintaining consumer protection policies. In service of this aim, the body enumerated six principles that it would follow.
The coalition argued that sports betting should be marketing only to adults, advertising should not be misleading, advertising should be in good taste and publishers should have “appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising”.
Additionally, the group said that sports betting advertising should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling, as well as not degrade the customer experience. Publishers should also strive to review consumer complaints relating to advertising.
“Sports betting advertisements should always contain a clear, prominent, responsible gaming message, including information on responsible gambling resources and never be directed to individuals known by the advertiser to be self-excluded,” said the coalition.
“Gambling advertising, promotion and other integrations that encourage irresponsible gambling or degrade the consumer experience (e.g. by appearing excessively) should also be avoided.”