The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has adopted new marketing rules that include a ban on gambling advertising on college campuses.
The new rules expand existing restrictions on advertising, marketing and promotions for licensed casino, video gaming and sports wagering operators, and include additional requirements to protect the public, especially young people and problem gamblers.
“By adopting these measures, the IGB is building upon existing regulations to implement additional safeguards and standards that further protect the public and encourage responsible gambling habits,” said IGB administrator Marcus Fruchter. “These regulations provide for clear, consistent, ethical, and transparent advertising and marketing guidelines for all casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operations under IGB jurisdiction.”
Previous IGB rules placed restrictions on advertising and promotional content, which included prohibitions against false or misleading claims and other restrictions.
The new rules go further to ensure that ads are not placed in locations where they are likely to be seen by underage or vulnerable populations, and also require operators to maintain advertising records and include prominent responsible gaming messages in advertising, marketing and promotions.
The revised advertising and marketing rules follow a public notice and comment period, approval from the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) in May, and publication by the Secretary of State in the Illinois Register Issue 31 on August 1st.
After assessing the advertising and marketing rules for sports wagering adopted in 2020, the regulator determined that those limitations apply equally to video gaming and casinos.
Illinois is currently home to 17 casinos, approximately 9,000 licensed video gaming locations, and 14 active sportsbooks.