Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
The top pro sports leagues in the U.S. and several media partners have banded together to promote sensible sports betting ads.
The NFL, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, NBA, WNBA, and NHL, as well as broadcasters NBCUniversal and FOX, have formed the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising — aimed at ensuring “a responsible approach to sports betting advertising.”
The sports betting industry posted a new February record this year by bringing in $636 million in revenue and $8.41 billion in handle. A record 50.4 million American adults — about one in five — reportedly bet on Super Bowl LVII, according to the American Gaming Association.
The newly formed coalition released a statement, noting that it is “critical to establish guardrails around how sports betting should be advertised to consumers” across the U.S. It also outlined its major principles:
- Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age.
- Ads should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience.
- Advertisements shouldn’t be misleading and be in good taste.
- Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising and review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting ads.
“We applaud the responsible advertising commitments announced today by many of America’s biggest players in sports entertainment,” said AGA senior vice president Casey Clark, whose organization has already established its own Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering.
