Sportsbook Giants Launch Association to Promote Responsible Gambling

Seven of America’s largest sportsbook companies launched a trade group to combat problem gambling.

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), announced in a news release Wednesday (March 27), is aimed at promoting best practices in the gambling sphere.

The group includes BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and PENN Entertainment, which make up 85% of the market, and which have pledged $20 million toward the effort, per the release.

“Many of America’s largest legal mobile gaming operators will be establishing a framework that helps to aid in responsible gaming education and awareness,” said ROGA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley in the release. “Together, our members will work alongside researchers, experts, regulators and stakeholders to promote responsible online gaming and maximize our efforts to support additional responsible gaming education and awareness.”

The launch comes amid a leap in sports betting across the United States, where 38 states and the District of Columbia now let residents place wagers on professional sports.

People are betting on the Super Bowl in record numbers, and companies like DraftKings and Bet MGM announced expansion plans. DraftKings said last year it expects online gaming to become a $30 billion business by 2028.

The rising popularity has led to efforts to address the issue of gambling addiction, with 2.5 million American adults considered severe problem gamblers, according to the standards of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Recent weeks have also seen scandals involving professional sports and betting. For example, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani is embroiled in a $4 million betting case involving his interpreter and an illegal bookie. (Ohtani said he has never wagered on sports.)

Meanwhile, PYMNTS Intelligence found that the rise in online gambling has led to a common complaint among players: the slow payout of winnings.

“Online sportsbooks, in particular, have faced over 2,400 complaints regarding delayed payouts, the report revealed, with such delays not only frustrating players but also discouraging them from returning to the same platform,” PYMNTS wrote in January.

The integration of instant payouts can solve this and up the likelihood of return visits from loyal customers. Per a separate PYMNTS Intelligence survey, 79% of gamblers opted for instant digital disbursements when given the choice, while 76% of those who were not given the option to receive instant payouts would have opted for them had they been offered.