NCL Report Finds Largest Sports Betting Apps Overwhelmingly Use Push Notifications to Advertise

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The National Consumers League urges policymakers: stop sports betting apps from pushing 24/7 gambling ads

Media Contact: Lisa McDonald, Vice President of Communications, 202-207-2829 

In a first-of-its-kind report, NCL has found that 93% of smartphone notifications sent by the three biggest sports betting companies during a 4-week period contained advertising material. The findings are based on the collection of more than 100 notifications. To stop the flood of marketing, NCL is advocating for a prohibition on sports betting advertising, especially the use of push notifications for this purpose. NCL is not advocating for a ban on sports betting.

“Sports betting companies have 24/7 access to consumers through their phones, from the minute they wake up to the second they fall asleep. The use of app notifications for advertisements is an extremely invasive marketing practice that should not be normalized,” said NCL Senior Public Policy Manager Eden Iscil. “The government regulates advertising on television, email, and text messages. But when it comes to push notifications, something that’s arguably more effective than each of those older mediums, there are no protections.”

From the notifications collected by NCL, 62% contained language urging the user to place a bet, often explicitly with words like “bet now.” 50% contained promotional offers, including bonuses, bonus bets, “no sweat” bets, and odds boosts. 28% advertised betting odds and 15% marketed parlays, a risky type of bet with little chance of payout for the bettor. (These rates varied among the three companies.)

To better protect the public from these practices, NCL is endorsing three legislative proposals currently under consideration:

  • The SAFE Bet Act in the U.S. Congress—a proposal that includes a prohibition on sports betting ads containing promotions. The bill would also ban the use of AI to create individualized offers or promotions, and it would significantly restrict the hours that sports betting companies can advertise. NCL found that the apps sent 91% of their advertising notifications outside of the hours that would be permissible under the SAFE Bet Act.
  • The Regulating Addictive Notifications Act in the New York State Senate—a proposal that would prohibit the use of push notifications or text messages for the solicitation of sports wagers.
  • A5207 in the New Jersey General Assembly—a proposal that would prohibit the advertising of sports betting via the internet, including mobile apps.

NCL is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the aggressive use of push notifications for marketing, which may violate the federal prohibition on unfair and deceptive acts or practices. A blog post outlining how the FTC should consider these advertisements can be found here.

NCL’s full report on sports betting companies’ use of push notifications can be found here.

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About the National Consumers League (NCL)      

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.