Bid to ban gambling ads is warning to US industry
Sunday's Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona further illustrated the continued rapid growth of legalised sports betting in the US, but it also highlighted another issue.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) last week claimed a record 50.4 million Americans were expected to bet an estimated $16 billion on the game and, with so many people watching, the Super Bowl was also expected to be the biggest customer acquisition event of the year with betting firms deploying extensive advertising.
However, just as in the UK, sports betting advertising has become a controversial subject in the US, to the extent that one veteran politician is trying to have it banned. Last week, Democrat congressman Paul D Tonko introduced the Betting On Our Future Act, legislation that would ban "all online and electronic advertising of sports gambling", whether that be on television, radio or the internet.
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