The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Monday unanimously approved new rules for sports betting operators when it comes to their advertising, marketing, and promotions in an effort to protect vulnerable populations in the state.
The rules, which must go through a 60-day public comment period before taking effect, are largely designed to keep operators from targeting underage bettors. The legal age to wager on sports in New York is 21.
One of the rules stipulates that “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.” It also seeks to ban operators from advertising on any form of media “where there is a reasonably foreseeable percentage of the composition of the audience that is persons under the minimum wagering age.”
Legislative efforts to limit the reach and tenor of sports betting advertising have gained steam across the nation in recent weeks. New York Senators Luis R. Sepulveda and Leroy Comrie introduced a bill in January that would instruct the gaming commission to ensure that all gambling advertisements include New York's problem gambling hotline number (1-877-8-HOPENY), mirroring a similar Ohio law.