Sportsbook Social Media Deemed More Risky Than Responsible

Responsible and safe gaming is always a significant talking point within the industry, which is more important than ever with Sportsbook content marketing and PA sportsbook promotions. For example, a seemingly ‘light-hearted’ gif of someone jumping off a cliff after losing doesn’t promote responsibility. Thankfully, we’re not seeing these posts anymore.

Keith Whyte, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Executive Director has been outspoken on the industry’s need for care and caution regarding sportsbook social media evolution.

What are the best practices for social media and sports betting?

The AGA (American Gaming Association) provides a responsible marketing code for each state it operates in. These 43 states must keep to these standards while promoting gambling, keeping posts responsible and safe.

A key point sports betting platforms must include within their marketing is the legal age for wagering – this must be added to campaigns in order to comply with the AGA ruling.

In addition to the AGA code, brands can also follow a six-page document of responsible gaming standards produced by Whyte and the team at the NCPG.

The responsible marketing code include the following:

• Promotions and adverts can’t be on online pages focused on responsible gambling.

• Operators must be committed to marketing that doesn’t target people with gambling problems or vulnerable people – e.g. minors. 

• Adverts also can’t be misleading and there can’t be any misrepresented odds of winning.

Whyte and the NCPG team approved of New Jersey’s incorporation of these rules and regulations. They stated the state “incorporated every one of the provisions”, proving that these rules can be implemented successfully. 

These provisions are being encouraged across the states, but we still need to see official codes in Pennsylvania.

“We hope everyone that operates in PA and also NJ, keeps those same high standards in PA,” stated Whyte.

Social Media Language Matters

Language is powerful. The wrong words can send the wrong message, which can be detrimental to responsible gaming companies.

A recent campaign from Barstool Sportsbook stated “Big Cats Can’t Lose Parlay”. Many questions have been raised about the term “Can’t Lose”, does this really fit with responsible gambling sentiments? Or will it push punters to spend more without safety? 

Whyte stated that they have relatively strong objections to anyone who promotes gambling opportunities with phrases similar to these. While it’s not true most of the time, the operator cannot guarantee the possible outcome if it is not rigged. So he filed a complaint to the AGA on Feb. 21st, 2021, by claiming that the Barstool Sportsbook’s promotion using the ‘can’t lose’ statement directly violates the language of the code. The last one states that the operator must not promote any messages that suggest personal, social, or financial guarantees to the people engaged in sports wagering. 

Barstool Sportsbook responded with the disagreement of Whyte's complaint. As a result, the process was closed on March 26th, 2021, and no further action was taken. Moreover, Barstool has continued to promote their ‘Big Cat’s Can’t Lose Parlay’ promo on its website and Twitter account.

In his complaint, Whyte also mentioned that language such as ‘risk free’ might concern responsible gambling, so FanDuel became the only operator who listened to the NCPG and changed its ‘risk free’ promo to a ‘no sweat’ one.

Whyte commented on his remark by explaining that young bettors who do not quite understand the process, experience a huge impact by phrases such as ‘risk free’, and people recovering from gambling problems approve of it. He also adds that inexperienced gamblers can bet thousands after getting the bonus, thinking it’s ‘risk-free’, though it’s not.

The influence of social media on the sports betting industry

Social media has become the main channel to spread messages about various things to countless people. That’s the thing that makes social media good and bad at the same time.

Whyte states that most messages shared via Twitter gambling accounts glorify sports betting. Social media does have a positive impact when it comes to hard to reach populations like young males that are skeptical of traditional media. However, nowadays, “the risks are far outweighing the responsibility.” 

On the flip side, it cannot be stated that operators do nothing about it. There are clearly some efforts made by gambling brands to put out responsible gambling messaging, not only 1-800-GAMBLER disclaimers at the bottom of tweets. Unfortunately, the positive examples are just a few, like a good case with PointsBet, though there’s still a chance other companies would consider this problem serious. 

The impact of social media gambling messages on kids

Whyte also worries about young, inexperienced gamblers that lie about their age to participate in the games. A high number of underage gamblers can also result from constant social media promos children encounter. He’s sure that in case a person becomes addicted at a young age, it would be tough to help them explain how odds really work. The AGA Marketing Code might be a great starting point for gambling companies, but it should not stop with them, as gambling Twitter is rather hard to police.

The influencers on social media are another gray area. While some marketing affiliates are left unregulated, nobody regulates influencers for sure. Aga code in this respect might be effective for the commercial casino industry. 

However, with the development of the process, more standards, guidelines, and tools will be needed to reach all other segments of players in the space – especially those of them who are not regulated by as gambling companies. However, people need to learn the industry guidelines and who will police them.