Guide
Responsible Sportsbook Publishing
Search research and betting promotion are different jobs. Publish helpful fixture and planning content for everyone, and limit anything that promotes betting to markets where it is licensed, written to that market's advertising rules and carrying its help line.
By FixtureLoom Editorial DeskPublished Updated 4 min read
Key points
- UK: gambling marketing must be socially responsible and not of strong appeal to under-18s; licensees are responsible for the third parties they contract with.
- Canada: Ontario has barred athletes, and celebrities likely to appeal to minors, from iGaming ads since February 28, 2024.
- US: the AGA code bans "risk free" language and asks for audiences at least 73.6% aged 21 or over.
- Australia: in-play online wagering is a prohibited service, and BetStop lets people self-exclude from licensed wagering.
Not legal advice. This page summarizes published rules so editors can spot problems early. The operator's compliance team and counsel decide what a license allows.
United Kingdom
- CAP rule 16.1: marketing communications for gambling must be socially responsible.
- CAP rule 16.3.12: they must not be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons (the "strong appeal" test applies since October 1, 2022). The ASA lists top-flight footballers as high risk.
- CAP rule 16.3.14: no one who is, or seems to be, under 25 may be featured gambling or playing a significant role.
- LCCP social responsibility code provision 1.1.2: licensees are responsible for the actions of third parties they contract with, which includes affiliates.
- Promotions: wagering requirements are capped at 10 times, and mixed-product promotions are banned, from January 19, 2026.
Canada
- Single-event sports betting has been legal since August 27, 2021, conducted and managed by provinces.
- Ontario: iGaming ads may not use active or retired athletes, except to advocate responsible gambling, or influencers, celebrities and entertainers likely to appeal to minors, since February 28, 2024. The iGaming minimum age is 19.
United States
- Since Murphy v. NCAA (May 14, 2018), each state decides on sports betting.
- The AGA Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering: ads where at least 73.6% of the audience is reasonably expected to be 21 or older; nothing designed to appeal primarily to under-21s; no "risk free" language; no college partnerships that promote wagering; a conspicuous responsible gaming message in each message, with a toll-free helpline number where practical. The code applies to partners and agents, which covers affiliates.
Australia
- Online wagering is legal only with a state or territory license; online casino-style games and in-play online wagering on sport are prohibited services under the Interactive Gambling Act.
- BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, has operated since August 21, 2023, for exclusions from three months to a lifetime.
- Credit cards, credit-related products and digital currencies have been banned for online wagering since June 11, 2024; the government lists fines of up to $247,500.
- Victoria lists a ban on incentives to open a betting account.
Help lines to show
| Market | Service |
|---|---|
| UK | National Gambling Helpline (GamCare): 0808 8020 133, 24/7 |
| US | 1-800-MY-RESET (NCPG); check each state's required number |
| Canada (Ontario) | ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600, 24/7 |
| Australia | Gambling Helpline: 1800 858 858, 24/7; BetStop self-exclusion |
Questions
Are affiliates covered by UK gambling ad rules?
Yes, in effect. Licensees are responsible for third parties they contract with under LCCP social responsibility code provision 1.1.2, and the CAP Code applies to the marketing itself.
Can I say a bet is "risk free" in the US?
The AGA Responsible Marketing Code says no message should suggest sports wagering is without risk or use "risk free" language, and it applies to partners and agents.
Is live betting content allowed for Australian readers?
In-play online wagering on sporting events is a prohibited service in Australia, so do not promote it to Australian readers.
Sources
- ASA, The CAP Code, Section 16: Gambling.
- ASA, Betting and gaming: appeal to children, May 27, 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP condition 1.1.2, no date shown.
- Gambling Commission, Socially responsible incentives consultation response, updated October 14, 2025.
- Canada Gazette, SI/2021-56, September 1, 2021.
- AGCO, AGCO to ban athletes in Ontario's igaming advertising, August 29, 2023.
- American Gaming Association, Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, updated March 28, 2023.
- FindLaw, Court: States free to allow sports betting, May 15, 2018.
- Department of Communications and the Arts (Australia), Protecting Australians from illegal online gambling services, August 2017.
- Department of Social Services (Australia), Gambling reforms, no date shown.
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, Credit card ban, no date shown.
- VGCCC, Online wagering and sports betting providers, updated October 13, 2025.
Found an error? Tell the editors with a link to the source. Corrections are noted on the page they change (corrections policy).