The U.S. sports betting and online gaming industries spent $3.9 billion on advertising and marketing in 2025, according to 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index. Television took $1.42 billion, digital performance marketing $980 million and celebrity endorsements $520 million. Earned media and PR received $90 million and responsible gambling programs $60 million, about 1.5% of the total.
5WPR Research Division, published April 15, 2026. Last updated October 30, 2026.
5WPR published the Gaming Trust Index to document where that $3.9 billion went and where the gaps are. The index covers the top operators across sports betting, online gaming, and land-based casino. It draws 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. Gambling was also one of the top five advertising categories on American television for the third consecutive year, according to the index.
On this page:
- Where did the $3.9 billion in gambling marketing go?
- How do the spend categories rank?
- Why does celebrity spend outweigh responsible gambling 9 to 1?
- What would a rebalanced budget look like?
- Why do third parties own casino brand search results?
- Why is online gaming marketing underinvested before legalization?
- Where is the full Gaming Trust Index 2026 report?
- Frequently asked questions
Where Did the $3.9 Billion in Gambling Marketing Go?
Gambling operators put most of the $3.9 billion into television, digital performance marketing and celebrity endorsements, and the smallest shares into earned media and responsible gambling programs. Television advertising accounts for $1.42 billion, or 36% of the total. Digital performance marketing takes another $980 million, and celebrity and athlete endorsement deals account for $520 million.
| Category | 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% |
| All other categories (calculated remainder) | $830 million | 21% |
Earned media and responsible gambling programs are the two lines that build credibility with regulators and the press, and they received the smallest shares 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 of 5WPR, made that assessment in discussing the index findings.
Quick definition: GGR
GGR, or gross gaming revenue, is the amount operators keep after paying out winnings to customers. The Gaming Trust Index uses GGR to size each segment, such as the $12.8 billion online gaming segment and the $67.8 billion land-based casino segment.
How Do the Gambling Marketing Spend Categories Rank?
Gambling marketing categories rank by spend in this order, using the index figures from the table above:
- Television advertising: $1.42 billion, or 36% of the total.
- Digital performance marketing: $980 million, or 25%.
- Celebrity and athlete endorsements: $520 million, or 13%.
- Earned media and PR: $90 million, or 2%.
- Responsible gambling programs: $60 million, or 1.5%.
The first three categories add up to $2.92 billion, which is 75% of the $3.9 billion total. The two credibility categories at the bottom add up to $150 million, or about 3.8% of the total. Those two sums are 5WPR's arithmetic on the index figures, and they show how lopsided the budget is toward paid reach.
Why Does Celebrity Spend Outweigh Responsible Gambling 9 to 1?
Celebrity partnerships cost roughly nine times what operators spend on responsible gambling programs: $520 million against $60 million. Celebrity campaigns drive awareness and short-term acquisition metrics. They do not build the regulatory goodwill, institutional investor confidence, or earned media equity that matter as the market moves past its initial land-grab phase.
Regulators and reporters read the budget split as evidence of priorities. A responsible gambling line that is a fraction of the celebrity line gives critics a simple number to cite, and it gives operators a harder case to make when a state weighs new advertising limits.
What Would a Rebalanced Gambling Marketing Budget Look Like?
A rebalanced gambling marketing budget would move 3 to 4 percentage points of total spend toward earned media and responsible gambling programs. At the $3.9 billion industry total, that shift is roughly $117 million to $156 million, which is about two to two-and-a-half times what the industry spent on responsible gambling programs in 2025.
Operators that rebalance even modestly would be better positioned in the next phase of the market. The shift is small against a $1.42 billion television line, so it does not require an operator to abandon paid reach. An operator can fund it by trimming a small part of paid spend and directing the money to three places:
- Responsible gambling programs that can be described with specific, checkable details.
- Earned media work that places named executives and data in news coverage.
- Owned content that regulators, reporters and AI search tools can retrieve and quote.
Why Do Third Parties Own Casino Brand Search Results?
Land-based casino operators generate millions of monthly branded searches, but third parties write almost all of the content that fills those searches. 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 each draw heavy branded search volume, and the results are dominated by review sites, financial news and regulatory coverage.
AI-powered search tools synthesize brand information from the sources they retrieve. Operators without owned and earned content to retrieve leave those tools describing them from third-party coverage alone. The index calls this the GEO gap, short for generative engine optimization gap, and it is a first-mover opening for operators willing to publish. The glossary entry on citation share explains how that visibility is measured.
"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 of 5WPR, said this of the casino segment.
Why Is Online Gaming Marketing Underinvested Before Legalization?
Online gaming, which covers iCasino, iPoker and 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. When the index was published in April 2026, New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia had legalization in active legislative consideration, so operators that build earned media presence before launch would have a documented head start.
Legislative status changes quickly, so operators planning a state launch should check each state's current bill status before budgeting. The communications argument holds regardless of the outcome: an operator that arrives with published research, named responsible gambling commitments and press relationships has more to show lawmakers and reporters than one that arrives with an advertising budget alone.
Where Is the Full Gaming Trust Index 2026 Report?
The full Gaming Trust Index 2026 is free on the Gaming Trust Index 2026 research page. It includes the complete spend analysis, earned media methodology, responsible gambling communications audit, and sector breakdowns.
Operators looking to close the earned media and AI search gaps described above can see how 5W's gaming PR and digital marketing team builds these programs, review 5W's casino PR practice, or read past work in 5W's PR case studies.
For data on which sportsbooks AI assistants name most often, see the Sports Betting AI Visibility Index.
Frequently asked questions
How much did the gambling industry spend on marketing in 2025?
The U.S. sports betting and online gaming industries spent $3.9 billion on advertising and marketing in 2025, according to 5WPR's Gaming Trust Index.
How much of gambling marketing goes to responsible gambling programs?
Responsible gambling programs received $60 million in 2025, about 1.5% of the $3.9 billion total, according to the Gaming Trust Index.
How much do gambling operators spend on television advertising?
Television advertising accounted for $1.42 billion in 2025, or 36% of total gambling marketing spend, according to the Gaming Trust Index.
How much do gambling operators spend on celebrity endorsements?
Celebrity and athlete endorsements accounted for $520 million in 2025, about 13% of the $3.9 billion total, according to the Gaming Trust Index. That is roughly nine times the $60 million spent on responsible gambling programs.
How much did gambling operators spend on earned media and PR?
Earned media and PR received $90 million in 2025, about 2% of total gambling marketing spend, according to the Gaming Trust Index.
What is the Gaming Trust Index?
The Gaming Trust Index is a 5WPR research study of the top operators across sports betting, online gaming and land-based casino. It uses public market data, operator financial disclosures, ad spend tracking from Kantar Media, MediaRadar and iSpot.tv, and analysis of more than 47,000 earned media articles.
