Ohio wants to crack down on sports betting operators who violate its advertising rules. Governor Mike DeWine.
According to Cleveland.com DeWine said that he and Ohio’s regulator, the Ohio Casino Control Commission(OCCC), were monitoring all advertising by operators in Buckeye State after the launch its regulated sports betting market.
According to the governor, he has already expressed his concern with the Executive Director of the commission and added that advertising rules violations in the state would not be tolerated.
DeWine stated, “The large advertising companies need to know that the Governor and the Casino Control Commission are closely monitoring them in relation to any statements they make.”
We believe they have crossed the line at least several times. They know that Ohio will not tolerate this behavior.
Ohio prohibits operators from advertising sports betting to those under 21. Two operators were fined by the state regulator in Ohio for violating advertising regulations before their market was launched.
PENN handed a $250,000 fine to Barstool Sports for using a promo code and advertising on a campus college campus at its recent event at The University of Toledo.
DraftKings was fined $350,000 for sending approximately 2,500 ads to children under 21 years of age in November, ahead of the launch of the state’s January market.
Barstool, DraftKings and both DraftKings have the right to a hearing in order to discuss the potential fines by OCCC. However, PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden stated recently at a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting the company doesn’t plan to appeal the fine.
DeWine highlighted also the use of free advertising for bets by operators to attract new customers. He stated: “That is a very clear line they can not cross.”
They must also be careful about the claims of “free money” and “free gaming.”
PENN Entertainment recently announced that it will remove the “risk-free” tag from its marketing materials in order to promote responsible gaming.
