The Current: Why You Should Like The AGA's New Responsible Gaming Hub
Gambling news roundup: NJ likely increasing online gambling taxes; California sweeps bill language drops.
The Current is a weekly report on developments in the gambling industry from The Closing Line.
The American Gaming Association recently launched a consumer hub for responsible gaming called Play Smart from the Start. Presser here, check out the platform here.
The big thing here — indeed the sentiment I try to hammer home in this newsletter on the responsible gaming front — is trying. Something. Anything. Unless you are doing damage with your RG messaging, which is kind of hard to do, I am going to applaud an attempt over doing nothing.
The AGA has made a good-faith attempt at what it sees as a gap in the ecosystem — a tool to help gamblers of all types determine if they are gambling responsibly, and help them if they aren’t.
A lot of the focus in the US is on problem gambling, and rightfully so. When people are in crisis, that’s when they need the most help. The 1-800-GAMBLER number has become more ubiquitous over time.
FanDuel’s Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting is designed to equip adults, including parents and coaches, with tools and resources to talk to young people about gambling, including information on warning signs, risks and proxy betting. The program is led by retired professional basketball player Randy Livingston and his wife, basketball agent Anita Smith, who share their personal stories related to problem gambling, with the hope of preventing others from experiencing similar harms. Learn more and join the conversation here.
But what about the people who aren’t problem gamblers, and don’t want to call a hotline, but may be concerned about their play? It’s not always clear what they should do, or where they should go. Some gambling companies try very hard on the RG front — see GameSense at MGM, for instance.
But in the broader ecosystem, this platform can fill a gap. Will it work? I have no idea. The AGA tells me it is doing some digital promotion of the tool itself, and is working with operators across the gambling industry to help promote it. Like most responsible or problem gambling efforts, its effectiveness will depend on its reach and user adoption.
But you don’t know if you don’t try. We can hope and wait for billions of dollars to be spent on research or the perfect answers and tools, or we can experiment in real time and try to help people. The AGA hopes it has the perfect tool — but it’s OK if it’s not! It’s an attempt, and one I think could help people if they use it.
Only some people click through to content from newsletters, I know from experience, so here’s the core of what Play Smart focuses on:
Grounded in player research, Play Smart from the Start centers around three key principles:
Right State of Mind: Start every game with the right mindset—stay present, know your limits, and play on your terms.
Know the Game: Understand the rules, odds, and bet with intention.
Act Intentionally: Set a budget, take breaks, and stay aware, win or lose.
“Our goal here is to normalize smart gaming habits, not just for at-risk players, but for everyone,” Cecilia Scott, senior director, marketing and industry communications at the AGA, told me in a demo for the product before it went live. “So it's about setting intentions, having fun and staying in control before every event.”
I think it’s a breath of fresh air to say out loud, “Hey, you aren’t going to win in the long run,” to players accessing this hub. That’s a level of honesty and transparency that hasn’t always existed in the gambling industry:
The best part is clearly the interactive sections. There’s only so much people are going to internalize from reading. If you interact with something that makes you think about your gambling, I think you’re far more likely to learn from it and even act on it. More from the AGA:
A Pre-Play Checklist to help players assess their mindset and set personal limits before betting.
A Know the Game section that demystifies odds, house advantage, and common sports betting terms.
A Responsible Gaming IQ Quiz that allows players to evaluate their gaming habits.
“I think this helps create a small moment of intention before their play begins, and hopefully this is something that they continue to revisit,” Scott said about the checklist. “This isn't something that we want people to just use once.”
And that goes for all of the Play Smart platform. Will all of this make a difference? It will help someone. Hopefully many someones. There’s room for a tool like this to be used alongside problem gambling messaging and hotlines, and any time we’re talking about or marketing gambling.
I am going to do what little I can to help by promoting this in my newsletter from time to time — the AGA isn’t paying me to do this. Why? Because I want people — inside and outside the industry — to use and share it.
Gambling news roundup
Murphy, state leaders hammer out deal on N.J. budget, tax increases (NJ.com, paywall): “With a week to go before the deadline, Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders are finalizing a deal on a new state budget that would include tax hikes on cigarettes, mansions, and online gaming in New Jersey — but not on bowling, batting cages, and laser tag, as originally proposed, NJ Advance Media has learned.
More from Sports Betting Dime: “Gov. Murphy and state leaders have agreed to increase both the iGaming and sports betting tax rates to less than 20%, smaller than the originally proposed increase to 25%, in the next state budget.”
Kalshi Volume Report: With NBA, NHL Over, Now What? (Event Horizon): “The NBA and NHL finals accounted for more than 60% of all trading at Kalshi last week. But with the men’s pro basketball and hockey seasons over, there may not be anything that will immediately replace them at the prediction market platform. Sports overall accounted for more than 80% of all volume for the week.”
Two Roads to Legitimacy (BLSH News): “The U.S. sports trading landscape has become a fascinating dichotomy. Several distinct regulatory pathways have emerged to allow venues to offer Americans a chance to trade on sports event contracts; the federally regulated Designated Contract Market (DCM) overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the state-by-state licensed Online Sportsbook (OSB). While both models share significant common ground, their operational realities, economic structures, and ultimate consumer experiences diverge significantly.”
A smart read here from the folks at Sporttrade, a sports betting exchange. I will probably get into this more over at The Event Horizon eventually. There are unquestionably a lot of benefits that could be realized from sports betting going nationwide via prediction markets. I agree with a lot of what they wrote — particularly that state regulatory regimes aren’t always allowing for innovation, smaller players, etc. My two biggest issues with the CFTC sports betting model from where I sit: 1. States that don’t want online sports betting are getting it whether they want it or not and 2. While the CFTC can be an effective regulator (and is, in some ways), it seems to want nothing to do with the challenges of regulating gambling and sports betting specifically, nor will it ever call what is happening at prediction markets “gambling.” Those are a couple of big stumbling blocks to saying this is all a good idea.
The new California sweepstakes ban bill is here: We’ve known the bill was coming for a few days now, but the new language is now available on the legislature’s website here. From the bill:
“Existing law prohibits specified unfair acts or practices undertaken or committed by any person in the operation of any contest or sweepstakes including, among other things, using or offering for use any method intended to be used by a person interacting with an electronic video monitor to simulate gambling or play gambling-themed games in a business establishment that directly or indirectly implements the predetermination of sweepstakes cash, cash-equivalent prizes, or other prizes of value, or otherwise connects a sweepstakes player or participant with sweepstakes cash, cash-equivalent prizes, or other prizes of value.
This bill would specify that using or offering for use any method, including an internet website or an online application, in the manner described above is prohibited, and would make conforming changes. The bill would revise the description of “gambling-themed game” to include examples, such as lottery games, bingo, sports wagering, or any game that mimics or simulates similar games, as specified. The bill would make an unfair practice using or offering games of these types that use a system of payment that allows a person to play or participate in a simulated gambling program for direct or indirect consideration, as specified, and for which the person playing the simulated gambling program may become eligible for a prize or award, cash or cash equivalents, or a chance to win a prize or award, or cash or cash equivalents, in a business establishment, on the internet, or using an online application. The bill would specify that these provisions do not make a game that does not award cash prizes or cash equivalents unlawful.”
The sweepstakes gaming industry is not a fan of the bill:
“The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) is deeply troubled by California lawmakers’ decision to attempt a backroom ban on promotional sweepstakes through a controversial “gut and amend” maneuver hours before a legislative deadline. “This isn’t how sound policy gets made,” said a spokesperson for the SPGA. “A last-minute effort to outlaw legal digital games, without public debate, expert input, or economic analysis, sends a chilling message to entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors across the state. California voters didn't sign on for backroom deals dictated by powerful political interests. With the state facing wildfires, a housing crisis, and a full federal assault on Californians' rights, it's astounding that any lawmaker would make banning mobile games a priority."
WOW Vegas heeds Louisiana’s call to leave the state (SBC Americas): “WOW Vegas is responding to a regulatory order by no longer accepting customers in Louisiana. The free-to-play online sweepstakes casino informed customers on Monday that it will no longer accept customers in Louisiana starting July 11 as the state’s gaming regulators take a stance against unlicensed sweepstakes operators. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) sent over 40 cease and desist orders to operators including Bovada.”
FanDuel Cuts Ribbon on New Office in New York City (press release): “Today, FanDuel cut the ribbon on its new office in New York City’s Flatiron District in a ceremony featuring FanDuel executives and New York State Senator Joe Addabbo. FanDuel has called New York City its headquarters for over a decade, and the company is proud to have approximately 800 employees in the New York office who call the state home. FanDuel has continually reinvested in New York in recognition of the state’s investment in online gaming, creating jobs in the state as a responsible operator and as the market’s leader.”
“The opening of our new office in the Flatiron District marks an exciting new chapter in FanDuel’s decade-long presence in New York City,” said Amy Howe, CEO at FanDuel. “We have over 800 employees who call New York home, and we look forward to continuing our investment in the state as the market leader in online gaming.”
NCAA Sports Betting Rules Could Shift With Vote On Pro Wagering (Legal Sports Report): “A major change to NCAA sports betting rules for athletes and staff could take a key step forward this week. The Division I Council is expected to formally vote on deregulating NCAA sports betting rules that currently prohibit athletes, coaches, and staffers from betting on professional sports, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Legal Sports Report. The move would not permit wagering on college sports in any form, and the NCAA’s longstanding ban on athletes and staff betting on college games would remain in place.”
Quebec’s Next Election an ‘Opportunity’ for Online Gambling Reform (Covers): “The moment of truth may be drawing near for private-sector operators of online sportsbooks and casinos that are trying to get the Quebec government to see the light. … ‘For us, the 2026 election is an opportunity, an additional opportunity, to bring this issue into the platforms of all political parties and to have a government that will take on this challenge starting in 2026,’ said Ariane Gauthier, spokesperson for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, during an interview with Covers at last week’s Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto.”
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