New Jersey legislators are pondering whether the top US betting state should pass new laws that would ban gambling ads near schools and colleges.
This debate follows a broader global trend where many countries move toward prohibiting gambling ads in a bid to protect minors and young adults from gambling promotions by minimizing their exposure.
More specifically, the state Assembly forwarded a bill earlier this month that would allow the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to limit gambling ads near schools and colleges with the goal of reducing the exposure of minors to volatile gambling promotions.
While the bill did advance and is up for debate, lawmakers are adamant that restrictions should not be imposed without a proper study that will determine which terminology is most likely to push people to gamble, i.e. pinpoint which words are the “trigger”.
One example of this is the use of the words “free” and “risk-free,” which are considered misleading, and as such, were the subject of a 2023 bill that outright prohibited them from being used in promotional materials by iGaming operators.
The reason for this is the fact that despite enticing with their “free” nature, these promotions actually require players to make a deposit to get the alleged “risk-free” bet, which is why many lawmakers and courts around the world have tackled the phrasing and made it illegal to use.
This example will be used as part of the New Jersey study, as the state plans to conduct research to determine what other words used in advertisements may potentially be triggers for young people and vulnerable adults.
Additionally, the study will also focus on deciding which messages could have the best impact in assisting individuals with gambling addiction get the help they require, and this will include messages specifically created to help them seek professional help or register with a self-exclusion service.
While the bill will indeed primarily focus on banning gambling advertisements, it will also put an emphasis on the legal duties of the Division of Gaming Entertainment, with lawmakers proposing more power to the authority for the purpose of obligating operators to use less-volatile gambling terms to minimize gambling among young adults and vulnerable groups.
