AGA Urges Companies to Include Helplines in National Ad Campaigns

The AGA (American Gaming Association) made a new guideline on Monday, urging gambling firms to include helplines in their national ad campaigns.  

Most users consider gaming as entertainment. The hundreds of helplines give critical help to individuals who are facing gambling issues.

“Problem gambling helplines are a vital resource for those in need of help,” Vice President of Government Relations and Gaming Policy Counsel Jessica Feil stated. Long lists of numbers on national ads, on the other hand, create obstacles for people seeking assistance when these vital resources should be made available to all.

Every state has standards for including disclaimers regarding problem gambling in printed and broadcast advertisements. The service is required for localized advertising. However, it results in confusion in national advertising.

Gamblers can suffer several repercussions, like a loss of consciousness. Due to the requirement to display a range of state-specific and national hotline numbers, dozens of numbers may be displayed in typefaces that are hard to read, making them unavailable to those who need them.

It also results in uncertainty among customers, as per the AGA. Because some gamblers are confused about which phone number to use when calling, multiple hotline numbers can cause consumer confusion. Does it matter where they are located or the place at which they gamble?

Furthermore, the group says that mandating gamblers facing issues to call a hotline ignores more modern crisis options like chat support and texting.

As gaming expands across the country, it’s imperative that our industry continues protecting all customers. We believe there shouldn’t be obstacles to help for those who need it, and modernization of the helpline system for national advertising is a good place to start,

Feil continued.