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Posted on: July 4, 2023, 11:25h.
Last updated on: July 4, 2023, 10:06h.
Massachusetts regulators voted Thursday to require sportsbooks to include certain language on their logos displayed inside sports venues. The message should clarify that betting is only available for people 21 and over.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-2 for the policy change, making it the first state in the U.S. to require sportsbook operators to include such a warning on standalone logos. Sportsbook operators will have 90 days to comply with the new rule once it is formally published on Friday.
The rule would apply to standalone logos for sportsbooks in venues such as Fenway Park, where minors will likely encounter the branding.
Thursday’s vote ends several months of deliberations and public comment over how to limit sportsbook marketing efforts that could influence people too young to place bets.
Limited to Sports Arenas
Sportsbook advertisements in Massachusetts are already required to include a disclaimer clarifying that individuals must be at least 21 to participate.
The change applies to similar requirements to standalone logos displayed at sports arenas. Commissioners indicated during Thursday’s meeting that compliance with the new requirement could be achieved by appending something as simple as “21+” to a sportsbook logo.
The change applies only to fixed signage and not to other instances of a logo, such as on apparel, letterhead, or business cards. And it is limited to displays in sports arenas, narrowing an earlier proposal that would have applied to all public displays of a logo.
Fanatics Most Affected
Commissioners noted that the rules change may significantly impact Fanatics, which uses the same logo for its sportsbook and apparel business.
Fanatics would either have to design a separate logo that would only be used for its sportsbook, as Barstool Sportsbook has done, or it would have to add a 21+ disclaimer to all instances of its logo in a stadium if it decided to maintain a unified logo for all its brands.
A Fanatics spokesman declined to comment on the rules change when contacted by Casino.org.
Commissioners Eileen O’Brien, Nakisha Skinner, and Jordan Maynard voted for the new requirement, while Chair Cathy Judd-Stein and Commissioner Bradford R. Hill opposed it.
Judd-Stein said she worried the rule would be too cumbersome without evidence that it would be effective in keeping young people away from sports betting.
“We’re really stepping outside what our peers are doing across the country,” she said at Thursday’s meeting.
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