NCPG report finds US states falling short of player protection standards
On average, states are meeting less than half of the player protection standards outlined by the National Council on Problem Gambling
US states are falling short of matching the responsible gambling measures set out by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), according to a new report published by the body.
The report, commissioned by the non-profit organization and conducted by Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, measured the NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards against each state’s existing sports betting legislation.
The NCPG’s guidelines cover aspects such as governance and policy, staff training, supporting informed decision making by players, and time and budget management.
Time-out and self-exclusion, customer support, marketing and advertising, game play, know your customer (KYC) and research, education and treatment are also considered.
The report factored in any specific accompanying guidelines adopted by state regulators, as well as any other published documentation such as technical standards or formal guidance.
The results showed that states with legal sports betting met 32 of the NCPG’s 82 player protection standards on average, equating to 39%.
From the states analyzed, 10, in addition to Washington DC, met 40 of more of the NCPG’s standards.
They were Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
New Jersey and Virginia were the most compliant states, aligning with 49 NCPG standards.
Nine states met between 25 and 39 NCPG standards, with those being Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Vermont.
Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Nevada, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Wyoming met between 10 and 24 NCPG standards.
Florida came out of the report with the lowest rate of meeting NCPG standards with just 11, closely followed by West Virginia with 12 and New Hampshire with 14.
The NCPG report did caveat that Florida’s baseline regulatory requirements were based on the 2021 Seminole Tribe gaming compact. More specific rules relating to Hard Rock Bet’s monopoly model were not publicly available as of May 2024.
An NCPG statement said: “While the laws and regulations of each state tend to emphasize different aspects of responsible gambling and readers are encouraged to review the analysis of each state in order to gain a broader understanding of that jurisdiction’s framework, it is nonetheless evident from this report that certain states have established more extensive responsible gambling rules than others.
“The goal of the report is to help states identify gaps in their current laws and regulations, providing a clear framework for making improvements to better protect consumers and promote responsible gambling.”
Earlier this week, the NCPG took a neutral stance on the proposed SAFE Bet Act designed to help combat gambling-related harms.
While deciding to neither support or oppose the bill, the NCPG acknowledged that the proposal lacked the necessary investment in public health infrastructure to be wholly effective.