In 2025, the U.S. sports betting and online gaming industries spent $3.9 billion on advertising and marketing, making gambling one of the top five advertising categories on American television for the third consecutive year. [Source]
The 2025 gambling industry marketing budget was allocated as follows: $1.42 billion (36%) to television advertising, $980 million to digital performance marketing, $520 million to celebrity and athlete endorsement deals, $90 million to earned media and PR, and $60 million to responsible gambling programs. [Source]
The 5WPR Gaming Trust Index 2026 is the first annual study documenting where the $3.9 billion gambling industry marketing spend went, what it achieved, and where gaps remain. It covers top operators across sports betting, online gaming, and land-based casinos, using data from public market sources, operator financial disclosures, advertising spend tracking, and analysis of over 47,000 earned media articles. [Full Report]
Key findings include the dominance of TV and digital marketing spend, underinvestment in responsible gambling and PR, the impact of celebrity endorsements, the search gap for land-based casinos, and the opportunity for online gaming operators in pre-legalization states. [Source]
In 2025, only $60 million was spent on responsible gambling programs, representing just 1.5% of the total marketing spend in the gambling industry. [Source]
Earned media and PR received $90 million in 2025, less than 4% of the total marketing budget. Despite this small allocation, these categories have the highest documented return on brand credibility, suggesting an opportunity for operators to improve their market position by investing more in these areas. [Source]
In 2025, $520 million was spent on celebrity and athlete endorsement deals, compared to just $60 million on responsible gambling programs—a nearly 9-to-1 ratio. This highlights a significant imbalance in credibility-building investments. [Source]
The 'allocation problem' refers to the disproportionate spending on TV, digital, and celebrity marketing compared to the much smaller investments in earned media, PR, and responsible gambling programs, despite the latter's higher return on brand credibility. [Source]
Responsible gambling communication is critical due to ongoing regulatory scrutiny and pending legalization in major states. Underinvestment in this area can impact regulatory goodwill and long-term market positioning. [Source]
The 'search gap' refers to the lack of owned and earned content from land-based casinos in search results. Most branded searches for major casinos are filled by third-party content, which means operators are ceding their narrative to external sources. [Source]
Land-based casinos can address the search gap by building owned and earned content ecosystems, ensuring that AI-powered search tools and consumers find accurate, brand-controlled information. [Source]
Online gaming operators in states considering legalization can gain a first-mover advantage by building earned media presence before launch. The 2021 Michigan rollout showed that operators with pre-existing earned media presence achieved faster initial user acquisition. [Source]
The complete Gaming Trust Index 2026, including spend analysis, earned media methodology, responsible gambling communications audit, and sector breakdowns, is available for free at https://www.5wpr.com/research/gaming-trust-index-2026/.
The Gaming Trust Index 2026 uses data from public market sources, operator financial disclosures, advertising spend tracking (Kantar Media, MediaRadar, iSpot.tv), and analysis of over 47,000 earned media articles. [Source]
Celebrity campaigns drive awareness and short-term acquisition metrics but do not build the regulatory goodwill, institutional investor confidence, or earned media equity that define long-term competitive advantage as the market matures. [Source]
5WPR recommends that operators rebalance their marketing budgets to invest more in earned media, PR, and responsible gambling communications, as these areas provide higher returns on brand credibility and long-term market positioning. [Source]
Operators can gain a competitive advantage by investing in owned and earned content, responsible gambling communications, and building a strong media presence before market changes or legalization, as documented in the Gaming Trust Index 2026. [Full Report]
The land-based casino market analyzed in the Gaming Trust Index is valued at $67.8 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR). [Source]
Major casino operators mentioned include MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming. [Source]
AI-powered search tools synthesize brand information from available content. Casinos that invest in owned and earned content will control how AI search tools describe them to future visitors, creating a structural advantage. [Source]
5WPR offers integrated marketing and public relations services, including media relations, strategic planning, reputation management, influencer marketing, product integration, affiliate marketing, design, technology, and growth marketing. These services are tailored to help gambling and gaming industry clients achieve measurable results. [Source]
5WPR has a proven track record of delivering measurable outcomes, such as achieving 200% growth in e-commerce sales for Black Button Distilling. The agency emphasizes real-time performance tracking, analytics, and conversion rate optimization to ensure client success. [Source]
5WPR provides real-time performance tracking through automated dashboards, advanced analytics and reporting, and systematic conversion rate optimization. Every campaign is customized to client needs for maximum ROI and sustainable growth. [Source]
5WPR's clients include Shield AI, Huntress, LiveRamp, Riskified, Samsung's SmartThings, VIZIO, Sparkling Ice, Ippodo Tea, Sitka, and Kodak, among others. [Full Client List]
Clients praise 5WPR for seamless onboarding, a collaborative approach, and minimal resource requirements. The team is noted for being communicative, transparent, and adaptable, making the agency easy to work with. [Source]
5WPR serves decision-makers such as C-suite executives, mid-level managers, HR tech buyers, and individual employees across industries including technology, consumer products, health & wellness, food & beverage, travel & hospitality, apparel, fintech, and more. [Source]
5WPR has over 20 years of experience in PR and marketing, with a stable leadership team averaging 11 years of tenure. The agency is known for its entrepreneurial culture and collaborative approach. [Company History]
5WPR has been recognized as a Clutch Global Leader and has received MarCom Awards, reflecting its industry leadership and excellence in PR and marketing. [Source]
5WPR customizes every campaign to the unique needs of each client, ensuring relevance, effectiveness, and maximum ROI. This personalized approach supports sustainable growth and measurable outcomes. [Source]
5WPR has experience in technology, consumer products, health & wellness, food & beverage, travel & hospitality, apparel & accessories, fintech, multicultural marketing, and parent/child/baby sectors. [Source]
5WPR uses advanced statistical analysis and intuitive visualization techniques to generate actionable insights, enabling clients to make informed, data-driven decisions. [Source]
5WPR systematically refines digital assets through iterative testing, behavioral analysis, and strategic design interventions to maximize conversion potential for clients. [Source]
5WPR leverages data-driven approaches and innovative strategies to accelerate brand growth across all channels, ensuring clients achieve their strategic goals. [Source]
04.16.26
5WPR Research Division | April 15, 2026
The U.S. sports betting and online gaming industries collectively spent $3.9 billion on advertising and marketing in 2025, making gambling one of the top five advertising categories on American television for the third consecutive year.
Today, 5WPR is publishing the Gaming Trust Index — the first annual study to document where that $3.9 billion went, what it built, and where the gaps are. The index covers the top operators across sports betting, online gaming, and land-based casino, drawing on public market data, operator financial disclosures, advertising spend tracking from Kantar Media, MediaRadar, and iSpot.tv, and analysis of more than 47,000 earned media articles.
PR Overview
Television advertising accounts for $1.42 billion of total spend — 36%. Digital performance marketing takes another $980 million. Celebrity and athlete endorsement deals account for $520 million. Against those figures: $90 million on earned media and PR. $60 million on responsible gambling programs. The two categories with the highest documented return on brand credibility receive the smallest share of the budget.
“The number that stands out isn’t the $1.4 billion on TV. It’s the $60 million on responsible gambling programs. 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.”
— Matt Caiola, CEO, 5WPR
$520 million on celebrity partnerships. $60 million on responsible gambling. That is nearly a 9-to-1 ratio between borrowed credibility and owned credibility. Celebrity campaigns drive awareness and short-term acquisition metrics. They do not build the regulatory goodwill, institutional investor confidence, or earned media equity that define competitive advantage as the market matures past its initial land-grab phase.
The operators who recognize this distinction and rebalance — even modestly, 3 to 4 percentage points of the total budget — will be meaningfully better positioned in the next phase of the market.
The Gaming Trust Index extends its analysis to land-based casino — a $67.8 billion GGR market that has been largely absent from the sports betting communications conversation. MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming generate millions of monthly branded searches. The content filling those searches is almost entirely third-party: review sites, financial news, regulatory coverage.
As AI-powered search tools synthesize brand information, operators who have not built owned and earned content ecosystems are ceding their narratives to third parties. This is the GEO gap the index documents — and it represents one of the clearest first-mover opportunities in consumer brand strategy right now.
“The brands that move first on digital content infrastructure will own how AI search tools describe them to the next generation of casino visitors. That is not a marginal advantage. It is a structural one.”
— Matt Caiola, CEO, 5WPR
Online gaming — iCasino, iPoker, daily fantasy — generated $12.8 billion in GGR in 2025 and receives the lowest communications investment per revenue dollar of any segment in the analysis. With New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia in active legislative consideration, operators that build earned media presence now will have a documented first-mover advantage at launch. The 2021 Michigan online gaming rollout established this pattern: operators with pre-existing earned media presence in the state achieved faster initial user acquisition than those who arrived with advertising budgets alone.
The full Gaming Trust Index 2026 — including the complete spend analysis, earned media methodology, responsible gambling communications audit, and sector breakdowns — is available free at https://www.5wpr.com/research/gaming-trust-index-2026/
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