AGA focuses on protecting college-aged audiences, eliminates risk-free language

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has updated its standards as part of the Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, referred to as the Code by the industry and the organization.

Established in 2019, the Code is designed to help guide industry standards, protect consumers, and build a sustainable industry that is based on responsible advertising. Bill Miller, the Chief Executive Officer and President at AGA, hailed the updates to the Code as an important step forward for advancing consumer protection standards across the board.

The updates come at a time of rapid expansion when nascent markets are beginning to mature, Miller said. AGA has first decided to offer better protections for college-aged audiences, which means that certain aspects of the way sports betting platforms and colleges interact would have to be revised.

"The AGA and our members are committed to building a sustainable marketplace that protects vulnerable populations and gives consumers the knowledge and tools to keep sports betting fun for adults", Miller had to add.

In essence, college partnerships that promote sports gambling would no longer be allowed. The only conditions under which such partnerships may take place is when they promote problem gambling awareness or responsible gaming initiatives, the association said.

The revised code also prohibits name, image and likenesssportsbookdeals for college and amateur athletes, the code says. Whenever athletes are appearing in sports betting advertising, they must be at least 21 of age. The risk-free language will also have to be removed.

"Risk-free" became a particularly hot issue in different jurisdictions across the United States. Many lawmakers objected to the fact that there was nothing "risk-free" in the type of promotions that were put forward. Rather, sportsbooks used this to incentivize players into placing a wager which was very far from bearing no financial risk.

Furthermore, moving forward AGA will have an annual process for reviewing its Code and applying all necessary changes as it sees fit. All now-proposed changes will be adopted immediately, but a grace period has been extended through July 1, 2023, for businesses and colleges to wrap up any existing deals that may still be running.

To ensure that further reviews of the code will be conducted up to the highest standards, AGA has named Dr Jennifer Shatley as co-chair of the Code Compliance Review Board. AGA continues to guide the industry at a time when regulated sports betting has reached 33 states and Washington, D.C. with 146m Americans living in a jurisdiction where sports gambling is legal.

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