The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) approved new New York sports betting rules, restricting advertising, marketing and promotional regulations.
However, before going into effect, the rules must first go through a 60-day public comment period.
New York sports betting rules help protect underage gamblers
Prohibiting New York sports betting operators from targeting underage bettors appears to be the rules’ primary focus. Language taken from the rules read:
“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 minimum age.”
Much like other jurisdictions, in New York, the legal age to bet on sports is 21.
Additionally, the rules are attempting to prohibit operators from advertising on social media platforms where “there is a reasonably foreseeable percentage of the composition of the audience that is persons under the minimum wagering age.”
During the 60-day window, regulators can make changes to the rules. At the end of the period, regulators would adopt any necessary changes and get the final say.
More extreme proposal in Congress
A similar measure has been introduced in Congress by Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko of New York. However, Tonko’s version would instead take a more drastic approach.
Tonko’s bill, the Betting on our Future Act, would ban all sports betting advertisements on any medium in the jurisdiction of the FCC, including TV, radio and the internet.
But not everything is so bleak in the Empire State. New York lawmakers also advanced A1118, a bill that requires operators to place gambling addiction help numbers on all advertisements. Per the bill:
“Requires all advertisements for gambling and sports betting to include warnings about potential harmful and addictive effects of gambling; requires the state gaming commission to cooperate with the commissioner of addiction services and supports to ensure that all advertisements for gaming activity state a problem gambling hotline number.”
A1118 is similar to Senate Bill S1550, introduced in January by Democrats Luis R. Sepúlveda and Leroy Comrie.
Sepúlveda and Comrie’s bill instructed the gaming commission to ensure all gambling ads included the New York problem gambling hotline number (1-877-8-HOPENY).
