Major League Soccer has joined a group of major sports leagues and media entities in the formation of the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising, it was announced Wednesday in a joint statement.
MLS joins the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, Women's National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, NBCUniversal, and FOX in establishing the coalition, which is a voluntary association with the goal of ensuring a responsible approach to sports betting advertising.
“As betting on soccer continues to have a strong presence around the world, it becomes increasingly imperative to educate the fans about responsible gambling," MLS Senior Vice President, Emerging Ventures Chris Schlosser said in Wednesday's release. "A big part of this is how sports betting is marketed and promoted. That’s why we are committed to joining this important coalition of leaders in the sports industry. This is an opportunity to work together to implement guardrails and ensure that sports betting advertising is done appropriately and thoughtfully.”
The Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising aims to implement and maintain consumer protection policies consistent with the following six principles:
- Sports betting should be marketed only to adults of legal betting age
- Sports betting advertising should not promote irresponsible or excessive gambling or degrade the consumer experience
- Sports betting advertisements should not be misleading
- Sports betting advertisements should be in good taste
- Publishers should have appropriate internal reviews of sports betting advertising
- Publishers should review consumer complaints pertaining to sports betting advertising
"As the legalization of sports betting spreads nationwide, we feel it is critical to establish guardrails around how sports betting should be advertised to consumers across the United States," members said in a joint statement. "Each member of the coalition feels a responsibility to ensure sports betting advertising is not only targeted to an appropriate audience, but also that the message is thoughtfully crafted and carefully delivered.”
