A New Jersey Assembly committee has unanimously approved a resolution urging gambling companies to stop personalised advertising aimed at customers showing signs of problem gambling or addiction.
Assembly Resolution 150, approved Sept. 14 by the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee, addresses sports-betting licensees, casino licensees, contracted operators and internet-gaming affiliates. It also calls on professional sports leagues and players associations to reject targeted VIP marketing involving vulnerable customers.
The measure is a legislative request, not an enforceable advertising ban. It gives neither the Division of Gaming Enforcement nor the New Jersey Racing Commission new advertising powers, and any binding restrictions would require further legislation or regulatory action. AR 150 also does not set out a detailed standard for deciding when a customer is vulnerable.
Its approval followed controversy over a Cameo video recorded by Philadelphia Phillies player Bryce Harper for FanDuel customer Terry Thompson. Thompson said he had lost about $1.5 million through FanDuel and attributed the losses to gambling addiction. Lawmakers discussed the promotion as an example of personalised marketing that could encourage continued betting by a person displaying signs of harm.
Global Gaming Insider reported that Harper recorded the 21-second video in November 2024, addressing Thompson and his son by name, and that the clip bore a FanDuel logo. Thompson sued FanDuel, Morgan, DraftKings, the NFL and Genius Sports in March, alleging they caused his gambling addiction and resulted in roughly $2 million in losses.
Harper said in a July social-media statement that FanDuel had no right to send the video to Thompson and that he had not known it would be used commercially. He said its use went beyond anything he knew about or approved.
William Moen Jr., the Camden Democrat who sponsored AR 150 and chairs the committee, said the video had been prepared to further entice gambling by Thompson. “This resolution simply urges the prohibition of this kind of advertising to prevent this type of situation from occurring in the future,” he said.
The resolution puts celebrity- and athlete-led promotions in particular focus.
