iGaming operators spent $3.9 billion on marketing in 2025, but only $90 million of it went to earned media and PR, according to 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index 2026. Performance marketing and celebrity endorsements drove short-term signups. PR built the regulatory trust and search presence operators need as legalization expands into new states, and the data shows most operators are underweighting it by a wide margin.
How Much Does iGaming Spend on PR Versus Paid Marketing?
iGaming operators put $1.42 billion of a $3.9 billion 2025 marketing budget into television alone, according to 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index 2026. Digital performance marketing took another $980 million. Celebrity and athlete endorsement deals accounted for $520 million. Earned media and PR received $90 million. Responsible gambling communications received $60 million.
2025 iGaming and Sports Betting Marketing Allocation
| Channel | 2025 Spend | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Television advertising | $1.42 billion | 36% |
| Digital performance marketing | $980 million | 25% |
| Celebrity and athlete endorsements | $520 million | 13% |
| Earned media and PR | $90 million | 2% |
| Responsible gambling programs | $60 million | 1.5% |
Table 1: U.S. iGaming and sports betting marketing allocation, 2025. Source: 5WPR Research Division, Gaming Trust Index 2026.
The two categories with the highest documented return on long-term brand credibility, PR and responsible gambling, split just 3.5% of the budget combined. Matt Caiola, CEO of 5WPR, called out the responsible gambling figure specifically in the Gaming Trust Index: "That is 1.5% of total marketing spend in an industry that has legalization pending in multiple major states and regulatory scrutiny as a constant operating condition. That ratio will not hold."
Why Does Celebrity Endorsement Spend Outpace Trust Building Nine to One?
Operators spent $520 million on celebrity and athlete partnerships in 2025, nearly nine times the $60 million spent on responsible gambling communications, per the Gaming Trust Index. Celebrity campaigns drive awareness and short-term acquisition. They do not build the regulatory goodwill or earned media equity that matters once a market moves past its initial land grab phase.
Why it works: paid endorsement spend buys attention on a fixed schedule, while regulatory and institutional trust compounds only through sustained third-party coverage and disclosure. 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index 2026 documents this split using operator financial disclosures and Kantar Media, MediaRadar, and iSpot.tv ad tracking data published April 16, 2026. Operators that shift even 3 to 4 percentage points of budget toward PR build a credibility asset paid media cannot buy on its own.
What Does the Novig Ad Show About Attention Versus Trust?
Novig's brand mentions jumped more than ninefold within four days of its Sydney Sweeney ad, according to Peak Metrics data reported by Business Insider on September 15, 2026. A separate analysis by Clayton Durant of CAD Management, reported by Inc. on September 14, 2026, found average weekly brand mentions climb from 392 to 4,633 in that window.
Only 4% of the resulting posts named the Novig app itself. The other 96% discussed Sweeney personally, her body, her choices, and her history of provocative campaigns, per Peak Metrics. Novig's own CEO, Jacob Fortinsky, told Front Office Sports on September 15, 2026 that the campaign was the company's largest marketing commitment ahead of NFL season.
Why it works: a performance-style celebrity spike moves engagement metrics fast, but it does not automatically transfer brand equity to the product. Read the full breakdown in Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad analysis. Operators who pair a celebrity spike with sustained earned media convert attention into product recognition. Those who do not risk paying for a spike that talks about the celebrity and never mentions the brand.
Where Is the Underinvested PR Opportunity in iGaming Right Now?
Land-based casino operators generate millions of monthly branded searches that are filled almost entirely by third-party review sites and financial news, not owned content, according to the Gaming Trust Index. MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming all show this gap across a $67.8 billion GGR market.
Why it works: as AI search tools synthesize brand information from whatever content exists, operators without an owned and earned content base cede their narrative to review sites and regulatory coverage by default. The 2021 Michigan online gaming rollout, cited in the Gaming Trust Index, showed operators with pre-existing earned media presence achieved faster initial user acquisition than those that arrived with ad budgets alone. New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia are in active legislative consideration now, giving operators a pre-legalization window to repeat that pattern.
What Do State Regulators Expect as iGaming Marketing Matures?
State regulators expect gambling operators to show a documented commitment to responsible gambling communications as more markets move toward legalization, according to the Gaming Trust Index. New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia are each weighing legislation now, and each has cited marketing practices in prior hearings on other states' rollouts. An operator with a thin PR and responsible gambling record walks into those hearings with less to point to than one that has built the record over time.
Why it works: regulators and legislators rely on public record when they weigh licensing terms, and a paid ad campaign does not create that record the way sustained earned coverage does. The Gaming Trust Index's own comparison of the 2021 Michigan rollout shows operators with pre-existing earned media presence moved faster once the market opened, in part because regulators and local press already had a documented history to reference.
How Should Agencies Structure PR Programs for iGaming Clients?
Agencies working iGaming accounts should treat responsible gambling communications as a standing program, not a one-time release tied to a launch date. Pair every celebrity or athlete campaign with a parallel earned media plan that names the operator directly, not just the talent. Build searchable, owned content for land-based casino brands now, before AI search tools finish forming their default answers about the category.
Why it works: the Gaming Trust Index's land-based casino analysis found that MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming all show the same content gap, meaning any operator that fills it first sets the baseline other AI engines cite going forward. Waiting until a competitor fills that gap first hands them the citation share this benchmark series is built to track.
What Should iGaming Marketers Do With Their 2026 Budget?
Shift 3 to 4 percentage points of total spend from television and celebrity endorsements into earned media and responsible gambling communications. Build earned media presence in pre-legalization states before launch, not after. Track branded search results quarterly to see whether owned content or third-party review sites are answering for the brand.
Why it works: Caiola's own assessment in the Gaming Trust Index is direct: the current allocation ratio will not survive the regulatory scrutiny the industry is entering. Operators that rebalance now build the trust infrastructure before it becomes a compliance requirement rather than a competitive choice.
Full spend analysis, earned media methodology, and sector breakdowns are available in 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index 2026. For a communications strategy built around this data, see 5WPR's casino PR and digital marketing practice.
