US gambling advertising compliance, state by state
There is no federal gambling licence in the United States. Online casino and sports wagering are authorised state by state, so a US campaign is really a set of state campaigns — each one planned against the rules of that state's regulator, with its own age floor, disclosure text and media restrictions.
Book a Strategy CallThe federal backdrop: Wire Act, UIGEA and PASPA
No federal statute licenses online gambling in the United States, but three federal laws shape what the states can do — and therefore what we can buy media against.
The Wire Act (1961)
Prohibits using wire communications to transmit bets or wagering information across state lines. After a 2011 Department of Justice opinion, a contrary 2018 opinion and the First Circuit's 2021 decision in New Hampshire Lottery Commission v United States, the working position is that it reaches sports wagering rather than all online gambling. Either way, licensed play has to stay inside the licensing state, which is why intrastate geo-fencing sits at the centre of every US media plan.
UIGEA (2006)
Targets payment processing for unlawful internet gambling rather than the player, and carves out gambling that is legal and wholly intrastate under state law. It is the reason licensed operators route play through in-state or tribal servers, and the reason unlicensed brands cannot be advertised to US audiences at all.
PASPA and Murphy v NCAA (1992, struck down 2018)
PASPA blocked states from authorising sports wagering until the Supreme Court struck it down in Murphy v NCAA. That decision opened state-by-state sports betting, which is why the map of what is legal now differs so widely between casino and sportsbook products.
The practical consequence for advertising: a licensed operator may only accept play from inside the state that licensed it, so promotional media has to respect the same boundary. There is no lawful way to advertise a state-licensed product to a national US audience.
How state-by-state licensing works
Each state decides what it allows. A handful license full online casino — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia — and a much larger group licenses online sports wagering only. Several states allow neither. Tribal compacts add a further layer in states such as Connecticut and Michigan, where the licence sits with a tribal authority and its online operator.
For advertising this means one rule above all others: we buy media only in states where the operator we work for actually holds a licence, and we hold each placement to that state's requirements. A single national buy is not compliant in the US, however attractive the reach looks.
Age rules we target to
Minimum ages are set by state, and a state can set a different age for casino and for sports wagering. We plan every US placement to the highest age that applies to the product being advertised in that state.
- Online casino in all seven states we are set up for is 21+, and we treat 21 as the default floor on every US placement.
- Sports wagering is 21+ in most states, but a small number allow 18+ — Rhode Island being one — so the floor is set per state and per product, never once for the whole country.
- Outdoor and connected TV are treated as general-audience media and are held to the same age floor, with school and youth-facility exclusion zones applied to every screen.
- Audience buys use verified age signals from the buying platform and our audience partners, and college-age student inventory is excluded wherever a state restricts it.
State regulators we plan against
These are the online casino states we are set up for today. Each page sets out the licence we require, the age floor and how display, video and outdoor are handled there.
- CT DCP· 21+
Connecticut, USA
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Gaming Division
Connecticut licenses online casino and online sports wagering through the Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division, with the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribal master wagering licensees and their online operators. Advertising is the licensee's responsibility even when placed by an affiliate or agency, and every placement must carry the state problem-gambling helpline.
CT DCP advertising rules - DE Lottery· 21+
Delaware, USA
Delaware Lottery and Division of Gaming Enforcement
Delaware runs online casino as a state-operated market: the Delaware Lottery contracts the three licensed racinos and their platform partner, while the Division of Gaming Enforcement handles licensing and investigations. All marketing sits under the Lottery's approval process.
DE Lottery advertising rules - RI Lottery· 21+
Rhode Island, USA
Rhode Island Lottery, with the Department of Business Regulation
Rhode Island iGaming is state-operated through the Rhode Island Lottery under the Division of Lottery, delivered with Bally's, while the Department of Business Regulation licenses the casinos, vendors and personnel. Advertising follows the Lottery's rules and the state's responsible-gambling requirements.
RI Lottery advertising rules - WV Lottery· 21+
West Virginia, USA
West Virginia Lottery Commission, Interactive Wagering
West Virginia licenses online casino and sports wagering through the West Virginia Lottery Commission's interactive wagering programme, tied to the state's five licensed casinos. Operators are accountable for all advertising placed on their behalf, including affiliate and agency media.
WV Lottery advertising rules - NJDGE· 21+
New Jersey, USA
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement regulates online casino and sports betting in the state. Advertising must be geofenced to New Jersey, targeted at 21 and over, and carry responsible gambling messaging.
NJDGE advertising rules - PGCB· 21+
Pennsylvania, USA
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board regulates interactive gaming and sports wagering in the state. Advertising must be limited to licensed operators, directed at 21 and over, and include responsible gambling resources.
PGCB advertising rules - MGCB· 21+
Michigan, USA
Michigan Gaming Control Board
The Michigan Gaming Control Board regulates internet gaming and sports betting in Michigan. Advertising must identify the licensed operator, be directed at 21 and over, and include responsible gambling information.
MGCB advertising rules
Running in a sports-wagering-only state that is not listed here? Tell us which states your licences cover and we will build the plan and the compliance checks around them.
What we apply on every US campaign
- State-by-state geo-fencing: media only runs in states where the operator holds a licence, never nationally.
- 21+ audience floors on every US placement, verified through the buying platform and our audience partners.
- State-specific responsible-gambling helpline and the operator's licence number in every creative variant.
- Creative approval trails kept per state, so the operator can hand advertising logs to its regulator on request.
- No media against college sports inventory where the state restricts it, and no youth-appealing creative treatments.
The minimum age for gambling advertising audiences in every licensed US state we work in is 21, and we treat that as the floor for all channels, including outdoor and connected TV.
Related reading
This page summarises public regulator guidance for planning purposes and is not legal advice. Confirm the current rules with your licensing counsel and each state regulator before launch.