The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has called for states that regulate online sports betting to enhance measures to protect consumers adequately. The NCPG recently commissioned Vixio Regulatory Intelligence to review online sports gambling regulations in 30 states and Washington, D.C. The review aimed to assess how each state’s sports betting landscape aligns with the NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards (IRGS).
The findings were concerning. Vixio found that, on average, states met only 32 of the 82 player-protection guidelines listed in the IRGS. Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia were the most compliant, but even they only met 49 conditions. Keith Whyte, executive director of the NCPG, emphasized the importance of the IRGS as a roadmap for states when developing sports betting regulations, ensuring that player protection remains the top priority. Whyte highlighted the report as evidence of the fragmented nature of existing regulations and significant gaps in consumer protections.
The NCPG, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization, aims to minimize the economic harms and societal costs associated with gambling addiction. It does not take a position for or against gaming. The IRGS, a comprehensive list of best practices designed to prevent irresponsible gambling, were developed in 2012 and have been updated regularly, most recently in December 2023, to reflect the evolving legal gaming landscape in the U.S.
The guidelines focus on regulatory policy, staff training, player assistance, self-exclusion programs, advertising and marketing, and account management. Whyte urged state gaming regulators overseeing legal sports betting to reassess their responsible gaming protocols, advocating for immediate steps to close regulatory gaps and reduce gambling-related harm.
Among the states reviewed, ten states and Washington, D.C., met at least 40 of the IRGS standards. These included Colorado, D.C., Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, alongside Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia. Nine states, including Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Vermont, met between 25 and 39 standards. The least compliant states were Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming, meeting 24 or fewer standards.
The NCPG’s report on the failures to protect consumers in states with legal online sports betting comes in the wake of new federal legislation proposed in Congress. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-New York) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) introduced the SAFE Bet Act, which seeks to intervene in the current state-by-state regulatory approach. If passed, the legislation would mandate states that allow sports gambling to implement a series of conditions aimed at better protecting the public. The SAFE Bet Act would restrict sportsbooks to advertising on television only between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and ban sports betting commercials during all live sports programming.
The American Gaming Industry opposes the congressional bill, arguing that states already have adequate consumer protections in place.
