The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has officially adopted a comprehensive marketing code establishing common standards across its eight major US online gambling members.
The voluntary code applies to member companies and all third parties that market their services, including affiliates, agencies, influencers and brand ambassadors operating on their behalf.
ROGA members covered by the new framework include bet365, BetMGM, Bally’s, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and Penn Entertainment.
The association confirmed that every member has adopted the code, with the group collectively representing approximately 90% of legal US sports betting handle.
The code takes effect within three months of publication and covers real-money online sports betting and iGaming promotions across all applicable platforms.
Dr. Jennifer Shatley, executive director of ROGA, said: “By voluntarily aligning around a common, enforceable set of standards, ROGA member operators are demonstrating their commitment to responsible marketing and to strengthening consumer protections across the regulated industry.”
The rules require all marketing to reach audiences expected to be at least 75% of legal gambling age, with operators required to use demographic data before purchasing advertising inventory.
Ads are prohibited from featuring cartoon characters, youth-focused imagery or personalities primarily popular with minors, and any person appearing in marketing must be at least 21 years of age.
The code also bars operators from advertising on college campuses, targeting college students directly, or entering into partnerships with amateur collegiate athletes.
Content standards prohibit language that frames gambling as a financial strategy or an easy path to winnings, while “risk-free” claims and loss-chasing messages are explicitly banned.
Influencers must be of legal gambling age, and members must make reasonable efforts to work only with creators whose audiences are at least 75% of legal age, with paid relationships clearly disclosed.
Members are also prohibited from increasing marketing activity toward customers already identified through their own responsible gambling procedures, with that restriction explicitly covering AI-assisted communications.
ROGA will assess compliance through a forthcoming certification programme developed in partnership with the Responsible Gambling Council, with repeated violations potentially leading to suspension or loss of certification.
The association has additionally selected LexisNexis Risk Solutions to build a multi-state self-exclusion clearinghouse and has partnered with BetBlocker to promote free software restricting access to gambling sites.
The code arrives during heightened scrutiny of gambling advertising, with a University of Bristol review recording 6,282 gambling marketing messages across the 2025 NBA and NHL Finals alone.
Public concern around the issue remains significant, with a February Sacred Heart University poll finding 62% of respondents worried about gambling advertising’s effect on young people.
A further 46% of those surveyed expressed concern about the volume of gambling promotions during major sporting events, underlining the pressure the industry faces to self-regulate effectively.
