ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — It’s hard enough for compulsive gamblers to stop betting.
Now, in a growing number of places, they’re bombarded with ads urging them to gamble on sports.
It’s a temptation they didn’t face a year ago.
And it’s raising questions as to how tightly regulated sports betting advertising should be in the United States.
Aside from requiring a mention of a compulsive gambling telephone hotline, the U.S. takes a much lighter hand with these ads than some European governments.
Gambling ads are increasingly being banned or restricted in several European countries. The gambling companies themselves say they are sensitive to compulsive gamblers and try not to target them with ads.