US iGaming Operators Adopt a Joint Marketing and Advertising Code

The largest legal online gaming operators in the United States have agreed to market themselves under a common set of rules. On August 18, the Responsible Online Gaming Association released its Marketing and Advertising Code, a voluntary framework adopted by every member of the association and presented as a benchmark for how the regulated iGaming industry should communicate with its customers across all marketing channels.

ROGA is the trade group formed in March 2024 by seven of the biggest online gaming and sports betting operators in the US, which together account for roughly 85 percent of the country's legal market. Its members committed more than $20 million in initial funding to responsible gaming research, education and best practices. The new code is the association's most concrete public deliverable to date: a shared commitment to consistent marketing standards that advance consumer protection.

The code is voluntary, but its significance should not be underestimated. When the operators who control most of a market agree on how they will advertise, that agreement becomes the de facto standard against which regulators, platforms, affiliates and partners will measure everyone else.

The association has been careful to frame the code as an evolution, not a constraint. In the launch statement, ROGA's executive director, Dr. Jennifer Shatley, noted that technology, digital platforms and the ways players engage with online gaming continue to change, and that responsible marketing practices must evolve to meet this moment. Member operators have echoed the framing publicly, with BetMGM describing the code as a strong framework for marketing responsibly and transparently.

Read between the lines and the intent is clear: this is self-regulation as preemption. US iGaming advertising has faced growing scrutiny from state regulators, attorneys general and consumer advocates, particularly around bonus-led acquisition ads, aggressive retargeting, influencer and streamer promotions, and marketing that reaches younger audiences. By writing their own rules first, the major operators are trying to shape the standard they will eventually be judged by, rather than have one imposed on them.

For the marketing organizations that work with these operators, the practical consequence is immediate: campaigns, creatives, sponsorships and creator partnerships will now be evaluated against a written code agreed by the clients themselves. The era of every operator applying its own internal marketing guidelines is over, at least on paper.

The code arrives at a moment when creator-led acquisition has become one of the main growth channels for online gaming brands, especially across Latin America, where streamers and influencers drive first-time deposits at a scale traditional media cannot match. Any shared marketing code inevitably pulls creator marketing into its scope: paid disclosures, responsible messaging, audience age profiles, and how bonuses and offers can be presented by third parties speaking on a brand's behalf.

For agencies and creator networks operating in the iGaming space, this raises the bar on professionalization. Expect operators to demand tighter briefs, documented disclosure compliance, verified audience demographics and traceable campaign records. The informal model of paying streamers to talk about odds and bonuses, with minimal oversight, was already dying. A joint code signed by the biggest operators buries it.

There is also a geographic dimension worth watching. US operators' standards tend to travel. The same companies and their affiliates operate in LATAM markets where regulation varies widely by country, and internal codes like this one often become the compliance baseline applied globally, even where local law demands less.

Is the ROGA Marketing and Advertising Code legally binding?

No. It is a voluntary framework adopted by all ROGA members, which include the largest legal online gaming operators in the United States. It is not law, but it sets the standard these companies will apply to their own marketing and to the partners and affiliates who market on their behalf.

Does the code affect creator and influencer campaigns for gaming brands?

Yes, indirectly but materially. Shared marketing standards push operators to demand documented disclosures, verified audience demographics and traceable campaign records from the creators and agencies they work with, particularly in acquisition-focused channels like streaming.

Why does a US code matter for iGaming marketing in Latin America?

The largest ROGA members and their affiliates operate across LATAM markets. Internal compliance standards at these companies typically apply globally, so the code is likely to shape how creator marketing is briefed, disclosed and measured well beyond the US.

Self-regulation done well is an opportunity, not a threat, for professional marketing. A shared code gives every brand, agency and creator a common language for what responsible iGaming marketing looks like, and common languages make campaigns easier to approve, faster to launch and safer to scale. The operators signing this code are the same companies whose LATAM growth depends on creator-led acquisition, and they will now need partners who can deliver that growth inside explicit rules.

This is precisely the model Miela has built its iGaming practice on: documented disclosures, verified audiences, anti-fraud controls and traceable campaign execution, with exceptional human talent amplified by purpose-built technology. Brands that professionalized early will read this code as confirmation. Those still running informal creator deals should read it as a countdown.

CDC Gaming — Responsible Online Gaming Association releases marketing and advertising standards