Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce makes a grab for a touchdown in the first quarter after Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps defends during Super Bowl LVII Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona.
Rich Sugg | Kansas City Star | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
The country’s major professional leagues are working with some TV broadcasters to crack down on irresponsible sports betting advertising.
The NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, NASCAR, and MLS have joined media companies NBCUniversal and Fox to form The Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising. The coalition, led by the NFL’s vice president of public policy and government affairs, Jonathan Nabavi, aims to regulate sports betting advertising as it floods television, Internet and print media. hit
The move comes as sports betting becomes legal in more states and opponents are concerned that their advertising is aimed at minors.
Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have launched legal betting markets since a landmark 2018 US Supreme Court case paved the way for any state to offer legal sports betting.
In 2022, commercial sports betting revenue will hit a high of $7.5 billion, a nearly 75% increase from the 2021 record of $4.3 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.
“As the legalization of sports betting spreads across the country, we feel it is imperative to establish safeguards regarding how sports betting should be advertised to consumers across the United States,” said the consortium in a statement on Wednesday. “Each member of the consortium feels an obligation to ensure that sports betting advertising is not only targeted to an appropriate audience, but also to the message is thoughtfully crafted and carefully delivered.”
The coalition says they are voluntary and said they will work to ensure sports betting advertising is targeted only at adults of legal betting age; does not encourage excessive or reckless gambling practices; still in good taste; and it’s not fake.
The agency also requires publishers to conduct appropriate reviews of ads and review consumer complaints.
“Legal sports betting offers fans another way to engage with the sports they love,” said David Highhill, general manager of sports betting for the NFL. “But just as we need to support to gambling bans and resources, we also need to be aware of how sports betting is presented and advertised to consumers, and this coalition should greatly help that cause.”
The National Council on Problem Gambling has praised the coalition and pledged to work with it to “better mitigate serious problem gambling.”
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
