Are online advertisements for sportsbooks and casinos heading for the dustbin of history? They will surely be a thing of the past if a New Jersey lawmaker has his way.
Late last week New Jersey Assemblyman Brian Bergen introduced Assembly Bill A5207, which would ban all forms of online advertising for sportsbooks, online casinos and regulated gambling operations of any kind in the State of New Jersey. Under the terms of Bergen’s bill, that ban would extend to any web-based platform, so mobile advertising is definitely included in the proposed ban.
Bergen, who does not appear to be an anti-gambling politician, echoed a complaint that’s somewhat common while describing his intentions to New Jersey 101.5 radio recently. “I just think it’s become totally ridiculous. The advertising has been like a runaway train and it needs to be reeled in, in my opinion,” he said.
The Garden State lawmaker also pointed out that shielding children from gambling advertising is a priority and that gaming ads definitely reach that forbidden audience. “Our children don’t need to see these things in a glorified way that entices them to become lifelong gambling addicts,” he added.
Those ubiquitous waves of advertising that come when a new market opens, and at the beginning of US football season, have been the target of lawmakers across the country, and across the world, for quite some time now. In the UK and Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, operators pushed their waves of advertising right into some very strict regulations and greatly reduced windows for when their ads can air.
Bergen says he plans to submit a bill that focused on televised gaming advertising next.