The U.S. gambling industry allocates more funds to endorsements than to promoting responsible gambling.

New research reveals that the U.S. gambling industry spends eight times more on celebrity and athlete endorsements than on responsible gambling and communications. This finding comes from the 5W Responsible Gambling Communications Audit 2026 by the 5W Research Division, a leading AI communications firm.

The research involved an audit of 30 operators across the iGaming, online casino, sports betting, and land-based casino sectors. According to the newly released data, the U.S. gambling industry allocated $3.9 billion to marketing and advertising in 2025. Out of this, a staggering $520 million was spent on celebrity and athlete endorsements, while only $60 million was directed towards responsible gambling initiatives. This reveals an 8.7 to 1 spending ratio, highlighting that nearly nine times more was spent on endorsements compared to responsible gambling efforts. 5W Research Division states that this ratio is the highest of any regulated American consumer category with a public-health dimension. The gambling industry has created a highly visible advertising ecosystem, but it lacks a comparable credibility structure. Torossian emphasized that the 8.7 to 1 ratio has evolved beyond just a marketing department statistic; it has become a capital markets metric, referenced in Sustainalytics, MSCI, legislative testimonies in states like California, Texas, and Florida, and even in answers from ChatGPT when parents inquire about safe sportsbooks for college students. Other consumer categories, such as alcohol, have significantly lower ratios, like 4 to 1, while tobacco stands at 1.5 to 1. The 5W RG Communications Index rated each operator on a 100-point scale, recognizing MGM Resorts International for its commitment to responsible gambling with an 81/100 score. BetMGM Sportsbook, BetMGM Casino, DraftKings, and FanDuel received scores of 78/100, 74/100, 71/100, and 66/100, respectively. To tackle upcoming challenges, the research proposed five recommendations for communication investments. These involve transparency regarding responsible gambling investment as a share of marketing spend, creating responsible gambling content for AI search engines, and engaging proactively with regulators in emerging markets. Additional suggestions include enhancing executive focus on responsible gambling outside crisis periods and redistributing 3% to 5% of the marketing budget to equitable earned media efforts, equating to $117M to $195M shifted at an industry-wide scale.