NFL and NCPG Announce Responsible Sports Betting Initiative

• The NFL announced a partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling on Wednesday, with the first stage of the launch taking place the same day.
• The program, which includes a $6.2 million investment in treatment programs, announced its slogan as “Stick To Your Game Plan. Always Bet Responsibly.”

NEW YORK – The NFL announced an initiative in partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling on Wednesday in order to raise awareness on responsible sports betting.

The initiative includes collaboration with some of the NFL’s leading sports betting partners, including Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. The three-year project includes a $6.2 million investment to expand problem gambling prevention and intervention programs. This money will go toward funding local and state programs for problem gambling prevention and intervention and expanding its youth-based programs.

The campaign has unveiled its simple, yet effective slogan: “Stick to Your Game Plan. Always Bet Responsibly.”

It officially launched on Wednesday with in-stadium signage and social media posts; it will also be expanded on-air for live TV and radio broadcasts of NFL games later in the season. The league will work with individual teams for local education and awareness programs, as well as bolster funding for the NCPG’s helpline system for problem gamblers. The NCPG also plans to establish partnerships with the NBA, MLB, and Women’s Tennis Association in the near future.

“With this partnership, we are able to exponentially enhance the NCPG’s ability to provide advocacy, awareness, and assistance on problem gambling,” NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte said. “The NFL’s far-reaching initiative demonstrates its strong commitment to being an industry leader in raising awareness.”

The campaign comes as the NFL continues to embrace the newly legalized and regulated sports betting industry. Betting transactions went up 122% in the first four weeks of the 2021-2022 NFL season compared to last year, with some of that increase attributable to the NFL’s acceptance and promotion of the industry.

Over 45 million Americans plan to gamble on sporting events this year, while 2% of the population meets the DSM-V definition of problem gamblers. This NFL initiative looks to ensure that percentage does not increase with the overall increase of sports betting volume in the United States that is expected to be seen.

News tags: Caesars | DraftKings | FanDuel | Keith Whyte | NCPG | NFL