Responsible Gaming Regulations and Statutes Guide

Responsible gaming programs are a critical part of the U.S. gaming industry’s everyday business. The central goal of these programs is to ensure that patrons are able to responsibly enjoy gaming as a form of entertainment, while lowering the potential for risky or problem gambling.

The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide is a centralized collection of the statutes and regulations concerning responsible gaming in the 38 states and the District of Columbia with commercial casinos, sports betting or internet gaming as of January 31, 2025. It is intended as a reference guide for industry stakeholders, researchers, lawmakers and regulators. This document does not include regulations that apply to gaming operations taking place on sovereign tribal lands where local tribal gaming regulators have the exclusive right to regulate all aspects of gaming activity.

Importantly, the gaming industry’s full efforts to promote responsible gaming and address problem gambling go far beyond the legal requirements prescribed in this resource. Industry responsible gaming programs operate in compliance with and parallel to state laws, regulations and best practices on responsible gaming. The majority of gaming operators and suppliers voluntarily implement responsible gaming programs with measures that go above and beyond upon the minimum requirements formally mandated by law, regulation or code.

The gaming industry commits nearly a half a billion dollars each year to responsible gaming initiatives that include support for independent academic research, development of best practices and new technological innovations and solutions, distribution of educational campaigns and materials for patrons, extensive and continuing employee training, and funding for problem gambling services.

In addition to formal statutory and regulatory requirements, operators and suppliers are also expected to comply with self-regulatory standards and best practices. As an example, AGA members commit to compliance with the AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming, regardless of whether provisions of the code are mandated by regulations in the jurisdictions where they are licensed. Furthermore, the AGA developed its Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering, which establishes guidelines for the advertising and promotion of sports betting. Most recently updated in March 2023, the code goes beyond the advertising regulations applicable to sports betting within legal states, and includes selfimposed restrictions on target audiences, outlets, and materials’ branding. The code also includes various commitments to limit underage audiences’ exposure to sports betting advertising.

Since the Responsible Gaming Statutes and Regulations Guide was last updated in September 2022, four states have adopted legislation and regulations for sports betting that include various responsible gaming provisions – Missouri was yet to enact dedicated sports betting regulations at publication. Similarly, internet gaming has been legalized and regulated within Rhode Island since the last update.

Beyond the expansion into new states, this guide provides insight into recent trends on RG regulatory changes. In recent years, responsible gaming regulations and frameworks have evolved to include more emphasis on formal responsible gaming plans that licensees must commit to, and more uniform state-level restrictions on advertising for sports wagering. About two-thirds of commercial gaming jurisdictions now require operators to establish and file a responsible gaming plan with regulators compared to about half in 2022. Similarly, over eighty percent of commercial gaming jurisdictions have instituted detailed advertising rules, up from seventy percent in 2022.

The expansion of mobile sports betting and iGaming since 2022 has coincided with an increase in complexity, sophistication and breadth of responsible gaming rules related to advertising and employee training programs. It has also led to more detailed regulations on responsible gaming than have historically applied to traditional forms of landbased gaming. Several states, including Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina, have since 2022 enacted general advertising requirements prohibiting advertising within media outlets or channels primarily appealing to underage individuals or where a certain percentage of the audience may reasonably be expected to be underage.

In recent years certain states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and North Carolina, have implemented rules that require use of data and automatic algorithmic triggers for responsible and problem gambling intervention.

Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Vermont are among states that have instituted wager and/or time limits as part of their responsible gaming frameworks since 2022. In addition, all four of these states have set aside dedicated additional annual funding for responsible gaming research, treatment and funding.

While each jurisdiction determines its own responsible gaming regulations, there are many commonalities across states. The most prevalent elements of states’ responsible gaming frameworks include the ability of players to exclude themselves from either land-based or online gaming, or both, for defined periods of time, if not permanently. Other central provisions of state statutes and regulations include the obligation for licensees to make responsible gaming information readily available to patrons and restrictions concerning the extension of credit to players.

Although responsible gaming laws and regulations vary greatly between the 38 commercial gaming jurisdictions covered here, many can be summarized into the following broad categories:

• Responsible gaming plan required – 28 jurisdictions mandate that land-based and online gaming operators prepare and submit for approval a wide ranging plan for addressing responsible gaming issues. The plans often require employee training and public awareness efforts. For jurisdictions that require an overall plan, readers should examine the specific elements that must be included in each plan.
• Self-exclusion program – All 38 jurisdictions require gaming or sports betting operators to adopt self-exclusion programs that enable patrons to exclude themselves from a casino or online/mobile gaming site and operators to expel self-excluded patrons if they are found gambling or wagering. The length of the self-exclusion periods available and the procedures for reversing self-exclusions vary by jurisdiction. A majority of jurisdictions have a central self-exclusion register that includes enlisted patrons from all gaming venues and platforms. Some state laws specify that casinos and online operators must also eliminate direct promotional outreach to self-excluded individuals and deny them complementaries – commonly known as “comps” – or access to credit.
• Property signage and responsible gaming disclosure – 35 jurisdictions impose requirements around on-property signage and/or disclosures related to responsible gaming. In some cases, that includes mandating the availability of brochures identifying the risks of problem gambling, requiring disclosure of toll-free helpline numbers and other resources for counseling and assistance. It may also include requirements that gaming advertising (print, billboards, or electronic media) include responsible gaming messaging or a toll-free helpline number.
• Advertising restrictions – 34 jurisdictions have specific restrictions on the types of, or content of, advertising that is permitted. Most jurisdictions require that gaming advertising not be deceptive or target minors.
• Wager/time limits – 29 jurisdictions with account-based online gaming, sports betting, or digital wallet wagering in casinos require operators to provide a mechanism through which patrons may self-limit deposits, losses, wagering amounts and/or time spent gambling.
• Restrictions on extension of house credit – 35 jurisdictions block or limit the use of house credit in land-based and/or online casino gaming and sports betting. This may include outright bans on credit advances from gaming operators to patrons.
• Financial instruments restrictions – 17 jurisdictions restrict the ability of casinos or online gaming operators to accept credit card deposits, government-issued checks or stored value cards that represent public benefits, amongst other things.
• Treatment and research funding – 32 jurisdictions have codified commitments to support treatment for individuals with a gambling problem, education services concerning disordered or problem gambling, or research related to problem gambling. Most of those states earmark certain state revenues from gaming for these programs.
• Employee training – 30 jurisdictions specify that casino employees who work on the gaming floor or those who otherwise interact with customers must receive responsible gaming training. Some states require the training to include instruction on how to identify players demonstrating problematic or risky behavior on the gaming floor.
• Alcoholic beverage restrictions – 18 jurisdictions require casinos to limit alcoholic beverage service on the gaming floor or to limit access to gambling services for patrons who are visibly intoxicated.

Beyond the overarching categories outlined above, states regularly implement other laws or regulations related to responsible gaming. These may include the creation of statewide responsible gaming programs, mandating research on the effectiveness of responsible gaming provisions, or requirements that licensees verify gambling winners do not owe child support.