Key Findings
- American betting companies allocated $520 million toward celebrity and athlete collaborations in 2025, while dedicating merely $60 million to player protection initiatives.
- Industry-wide promotional expenditures totaled $3.9 billion, with player safety messaging representing a mere 1.5% of that investment.
- Among 12 publicly listed gambling operators, just 4 provide transparency on responsible gaming expenditures as a proportion of their promotional budgets.
- BetMGM achieved top rankings in sports wagering, online gaming, and traditional casino sectors for responsible gaming outreach.
- Artificial intelligence platforms including ChatGPT and Gemini reference operators with stronger responsible gaming content more frequently when responding to safety-related inquiries.
A comprehensive industry analysis conducted by communications agency 5W reveals that American betting operators invested substantially more in celebrity collaborations than player protection measures throughout 2025. The analysis indicates celebrity and sports figure partnership expenditures reached $520 million, approximately 8.7 times greater than the $60 million directed toward responsible gaming initiatives.
The agency examined 30 operators spanning sports betting, online gaming, and brick-and-mortar casino operations. Their investigation encompassed more than 47,000 news articles, regulatory documents, and corporate disclosures.
Aggregate promotional spending throughout the sector reached $3.9 billion annually. Player protection communications accounted for merely 1.5% of that expenditure.
Marketing Budget Breakdown
Television campaigns commanded the largest allocation at $1.42 billion, representing over one-third of total expenditures.
Online advertising secured the second position with $980 million in spending. Celebrity and athlete partnerships claimed third place at $520 million.
Earned media coverage and public relations initiatives received the smallest portion at $90 million, comprising just 2.3% of overall spending.
The analysis uncovered significant transparency deficiencies. Among the 12 publicly traded operators examined, only 4 disclose responsible gaming expenditures as a percentage of their promotional budgets. The remaining companies either report absolute dollar amounts exclusively or omit the breakdown altogether.
Regulatory engagement proved minimal as well. Across 11 of 38 jurisdictions where betting is legal, state authorities reported hearing from fewer than three operators annually regarding responsible gaming matters.
Individual Operator Performance and AI Platform Analysis
Among specific companies, BetMGM and MGM Resorts initiated regulatory conversations in 9 jurisdictions throughout the review period. DraftKings maintained contact in 8 states, with FanDuel engaging across 7 jurisdictions.
5W developed a 100-point evaluation system assessing financial transparency, media visibility, executive engagement, regulatory communication, and frequency of appearance in AI-generated responses.
BetMGM secured the top position in sports wagering rankings, surpassing DraftKings and FanDuel. ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, and bet365 recorded the weakest performance in this segment.
BetMGM dominated the online gaming category as well. Sweepstakes platform stake.us registered the lowest score among all examined companies.
Within the traditional casino segment, MGM Resorts, BetMGM’s parent company, achieved the highest ranking.
The evaluation additionally examined how artificial intelligence systems characterize operator safety measures. Researchers submitted identical prompts to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity Pro, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, conducting 20 trials with each platform.
Operators with more extensive published responsible gaming materials appeared with greater frequency in AI responses addressing player protection topics. BetMGM and DraftKings dominated these search results.
These findings emerge amid increasing scrutiny regarding celebrity marketing effectiveness. A YouGov poll conducted earlier this year determined that 70% of American adults indicated celebrity endorsements didn’t influence their perception of gambling brands.
Among active bettors specifically, 43% acknowledged that celebrity partnerships helped brands differentiate themselves. Approximately 40% stated such endorsements increased their likelihood of considering a betting platform, while roughly 10% reported celebrity associations worsened their opinion.
The polling data suggests celebrity marketing continues generating brand awareness, though its persuasive influence appears diminishing. The 5W analysis contends operators might achieve superior returns from regulatory bodies, investors, and AI systems by reallocating portions of celebrity budgets toward responsible gaming communications.
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