All final hurdles have been cleared and the state is preparing to accept the first wagers from anyone aged 21 or older on January 1, 2023. Yet, in the run-up to the actual launch, there have been a few issues with the way eager stakeholders have been promoting their products.
Ohio Commission Takes Issue with Ad Practices by Sportsbooks
In a recent statement, the Ohio Casino Control Commission said that it expected all sportsbooks to maintain the highest industry standards and ensure that they comply with the binding rules of their licenses. While the watchdog promised to take enforcement action against any offender in the past, the company said that it would not seek to “regulate” advertisements.
Rather, sportsbooks ought to clean up their act, arguing that legalized companies in the state have not followed regulations. The Commission ruled out this being a one-time mistake, as it said that there were systematic patterns of flouting gambling regulation laws. The regulator said:
We understand mistakes happen, but it is not a mistake when it appears to be this consistent.
Ohio Casino Control Commission
The regulator said that it would not seek to regulate how the industry advertises its product but that it would act in cases where rules have been broken. Luckily for operators, this is not going to be one of those times. Nevertheless, the Commission urged stakeholders to “immediately review” their advertising practices and the materials that they have published so far.
All and any reviews henceforth must be done to ensure full compliance with existing state laws regarding sports betting. The Commission similarly said that the industry should show “courtesy” and not color around the regulatory lines.
One of the points the Commission reiterated was the necessity of displaying responsible gambling and addiction helpline messages as prominently as possible. The watchdog urged sportsbooks to ensure that this messaging is made “clear, legible, and audible.” The Commission criticized the first gambling messages that appeared by regulators in the state, arguing that they did not meet those responsibility standards at all.
An advertisement should not have to be zoomed in on, slowed down, or the volume turned up for an individual to see or hear a helpline number.
Ohio Casino Control Commission
The Regulator Outlines What Responsible Gambling Messaging Should Be Like
The Commission said that having the responsible gambling tagline in the lowest possible voice, fastest speech or smallest font was not what these messages should be like. While Ohio has not taken regulatory action on this particular instance, this does not mean that there has been no regulatory action in the past.
In fact, the regulator took an issue with Penn Entertainment and its sportsbook, Barstool Sportsbook, for breaking advertisement standards in the standard. PlayUp Interactive, another hopeful brand, was denied entry into the state haunted by its past with the regulator arguing that the company had been accepting illegal bets in the United States without any appropriate license.