The Empire State has become the latest to propose stricter regulations that would prohibit the targeting of underaged persons in NY sports betting advertising.
The NYS Gaming Commission is set to consider the proposed NY sports betting rules at its Monday meeting. Commissioners directed staff to draft proposed regulations after internal discussions, according to a spokesperson.
One component reads:
A casino sports wagering licensee or sports pool vendor shall not allow, conduct or participate in any advertising, marketing or branding for sports wagering that is aimed at persons under the wagering minimum age set forth in Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 1332
Path to NY sports betting regulations
NYSGC chairman Brian O’Dwyer has repeatedly voiced his concerns over casino and sports betting advertising being directed at college students. Those concerns were reiterated by NYSGC executive director Robert Williams during the recent joint hearing regarding online casino gaming.
In fact, NY Council on Problem Gambling assistant executive director Michelle Hadden told LSR: “We definitely saw an increase in calls to our program and people looking for help, including a lot of moms of college-age students.”
New York bettors are currently prohibited from placing wagers on in-state college teams.
NY sports betting college ad regs
The proposed rule making includes the following:
- (4) College and university media. Sports wagering shall not be promoted or advertised in college- or university-owned news assets (e.g., school newspapers, radio, telecasts) or advertised on college or university campuses, except that generally available advertising that is not targeted to the area of a college or university campus shall not be prohibited by this paragraph.
- (5) Depiction of underage persons. No advertisement for sports wagering shall depict a person under the wagering minimum age set forth in Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 1332(1); students; schools or colleges; or school or college settings, except where such image may incidentally depict a person under the wagering minimum age set forth in Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 1332(1) or is an image of a professional athlete during a type of sporting event on which wagering is permitted.
- (6) Endorsements. No advertisement for sports wagering shall state or imply an endorsement by a person under the wagering minimum age set forth in Racing, PariMutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 1332(1) (other than professional athletes); college athletes; schools or colleges; or college athletic associations.
NY legislators trying RG crack down
Following a record-setting year for online sports betting in New York, legislators have put an increased spotlight on responsible gaming. As a result, a pair of RG bill amendments were introduced in the Empire State.
Bill S1550 would require all sports betting and gambling advertising to include warnings about its potentially harmful and addictive effects. Meanwhile, Bill A1056 would establish a problem gambling advisory council.
Ohio, which launched online sports betting on Jan. 1, has handed out more than $1 million in fines for alleged sportsbook violations. Massachusetts, set to launch on March 10, also has some of the strictest advertising regulations in the country.
