The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has revised its regulations on advertising for casinos, sportsbooks, and video gaming terminal host businesses. The new rules, effective immediately, impose stringent restrictions on the language and venues used in marketing by gaming operators.
In the latest directive, the IGB has banned terms such as “risk-free” and “free bet” that suggest a gambler can participate without any risk. Furthermore, gaming companies are restricted from advertising at events where the majority of the attendees are likely to be under the age of 21. The updated rules also extend this ban to all college campuses and college-focused media, including newspapers and online websites. Consequently, local restaurants and bars that house VGTs cannot place advertisements in college media.
The new regulations also prohibit wagering and gambling logos on clothing and gifts that are primarily appealing to underage individuals. Additionally, all marketing communications sent to patrons and targeted consumers must now include an easily accessible “opt-out” option, allowing consumers to remove themselves from future marketing lists.
IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter commented, “As part of the IGB’s ongoing work to reassess existing rules and measure the effectiveness of gaming expansion implementation, the IGB amended the current advertising and marketing rules for sports wagering to include additional safeguards and requirements and also make those rules applicable for the first time to casino gambling and video gaming. The new rules adopted today will provide uniform advertising regulation and standards across all Illinois’ gaming markets under IGB jurisdiction.”
Illinois hosts 15 casinos, 15 sportsbooks, and a network of over 8,700 VGT establishments. The state’s gaming industry continues to grow, with new brick-and-mortar casinos planned in Chicago and its suburbs, including a Bally’s integrated resort set to open in downtown Chicago by the fall of 2026.
The sports betting industry has faced criticism for its pervasive advertising, prompting concerns that state gaming regulators have not implemented adequate safeguards to protect consumers. A recent federal bill introduced to Congress aims to address these issues. US Rep. Paul Tonko (D-New York) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) are supporting the Supporting Affordability & Fairness With Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act), which would mandate sports betting states to adopt regulatory measures designed to boost consumer protection.
Key provisions of the SAFE Bet Act include prohibiting the use of “risk-free” language in sportsbook advertisements and eliminating deposit bonuses. The Act also seeks to ban sports betting ads during live sports programming and between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Funding online sportsbook accounts with credit cards would also become illegal nationwide. Tonko believes sports betting advertising has “reached intolerably dangerous levels,” and asserts that it is time for Congress to step in to protect the public.
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