New York Legislators Eyeing New Sports Betting Advertising Requirements

May 12, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after a single during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

• A bill has passed out of the New York Senate to include warnings on dangers of gambling/sports betting in all advertisements
• The bill passed unanimously
• Requires all advertisements to include warnings on addictive nature of gambling and sports betting

The New York legislature has taken another step to ensure sports bettors and gamblers understand the potentially addictive nature of their gaming.

The New York Senate passed Sen. Leroy Comrie’s (D-14) bill by a vote of 57-0 to require all sports betting and gambling advertisements include language warning about the potential harmful and addictive effects of gambling.

The bill now heads to the House, while a national sports betting advertising bill from a New York Congressman is still in play.

Proactive Measures for Safety

Comrie’s bill will require that all sports betting and gambling advertisements in the state “include warnings about potential harmful and addictive effects of gambling” and to also ensure that all advertisements include the New York state problem gambling hotline number.

The bill amends the state’s racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law.

New York earmarks just $1 million a year for public service announcements regarding problem gambling, the bill notes.

“In the unprecedented growth of gambling, where it is easy to place bets with PayPal, credit cards, bitcoin, or money-transfer apps; it is also important as a state to be proactive identifying and preventing potential problems of gambling. If signed into law, this bill would require industries to include warnings about potential harmful and addictive effects of gambling,” the authors wrote in the bill.

The bill will go into effect 60 days after it’s potentially approved and signed into law.

NY Congressman Searching for National Answers

As Comrie focuses on New York state, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) is hoping he can push a national answer through Congress.

Tonko’s SAFE Bet Act requires sports betting operators to comply with minimum federal standards in three categories: Advertising, affordability, and artificial intelligence.

The bill seeks to prohibit operators from running sports betting advertisements during live sporting events and restricts advertisements that includes language such as  “bonus,” “no sweat,” “bonus bets,” or odds boosts.

If approved, users would not be able to deposit more than five times during a 24-hour period and would require operators to conduct “affordability checks” before accepting large wagers from customers. Additionally, it prohibit the use of credit cards to fund sports betting accounts.

The bill would also prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to track player’s gambling habits and create gambling products, such as microbets.

Finally, Tonko noted on X that the bill would include a national prohibition on college player prop bets.

This is the second bill Tonko has floated since early 2023 to restrict sports betting advertisements. He introduced the “Betting on our Future Act” in February 2023, which attempted to ban all online and electronic advertising of sports betting.

The bill has sat in the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology since February 2023.

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