Share 
Bonus TL;DR
- The New Jersey Assembly’s Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee voted 7-0 to advance Assembly Resolution 150, urging an immediate end to predatory marketing practices and personalized VIP ads targeting problem gamblers.
- While the resolution is a non-binding recommendation rather than an enforceable law, it follows high-profile scrutiny surrounding personalized celebrity outreach—such as a customized video from Bryce Harper sent to a high-losing customer by FanDuel.
The New Jersey Assembly’s Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee voted 7-0 to back a recommendation urging a ban on gambling advertisements aimed at people who show signs of problem gambling or addiction.
The vote advanced Assembly Resolution 150, introduced by committee chair Assemblyman William F. Moen Jr. While the measure does not change state law on its own, it adds to growing scrutiny of how sportsbooks, online casino operators, and other gambling entities market to high-value customers and vulnerable players.
The resolution specifically calls for an end to what it describes as predatory marketing practices, including personalized campaigns that use athletes or celebrities to encourage continued gambling by people known to be addicts or who have shown signs of problematic behavior.
Resolution targets VIP and celebrity-led marketing
In the text of the resolution, lawmakers said: “Predatory marketing, including the use of professional athletes or celebrities, which targets certain patrons who are known by sportsbooks and other gambling entities to be gambling addicts, or who have exhibited signs of problem gambling, and encourages them to continue gambling, is antithetical to the goals of responsible gaming and such practices should cease immediately.”
The issue drew attention after reports that FanDuel sent a VIP customer a personalized message from baseball star Bryce Harper. According to the source report, the customer claims to have lost more than $1.5 million after wagering more than $18.5 million with FanDuel.
Moen said of that video: “It was explicitly made clear that this video was prepared to further entice gambling by this individual.”
What the vote changes, and what it does not
The committee’s action is a recommendation, not a new statute, so it cannot by itself impose a legal advertising ban in New Jersey. For any enforceable restriction to take effect, lawmakers would need to advance separate legislation.
Still, the vote signals that gambling marketing practices are drawing broader attention in Trenton. The source report also noted that in February, Sen. Andrew Zwicker introduced a separate bill that would bar operators from sending push notifications or text messages when a gambling app is closed. That proposal had not moved since it was filed.
For now, the immediate takeaway for operators is political rather than legal: a New Jersey Assembly committee has formally urged the industry to stop targeting problem gamblers with personalized advertising, including VIP outreach and celebrity-backed messages, in a broader push to enforce responsible gaming.
Source: As reported by focusgn.com.
