ROGA Challenges Operators to Meet New VIP Program Guidelines
The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), an independent association representing 90% of the U.S. sports betting industry, released a new evidence-based best practices guide to improve the handling of VIP programs run by online sportsbooks. The proposed practices are designed to promote responsible gaming behavior among high-value players and maintain ethical engagement among players within the industry.
The ROGA guidelines include 11 recommendations. These begin with role-specific instruction for VIP hosts to educate staff on detecting and responding to signs of problematic behavior.
The activity takes place against the backdrop of mounting public anxiety about gambling addiction in the wake of the explosive rise of legalized sports betting. A study titled Growing Health Concern Regarding Gambling Addiction in the Era of Sportsbooks finds that the number of states with legal sports betting has grown from one in 2017 to 38 as of 2023. The combined betting handle increased from $4.9 billion to $121.1 billion in the same period.
The study also found dramatic increases in searches for gambling addiction, particularly after the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association allowing states to legalize sports betting unilaterally. This trend was evident in states that launched online sportsbook sites, and it's something that ROGA suggests the best sports betting sites should pay attention to.
In response, ROGA has prioritized responsible VIP player engagement, acknowledging research-led, ethical models as the path to sustainable longevity for its sportsbook platform. The recently released guidelines represent a progressive move toward harmonizing player incentives with safeguards to minimize gambling harm.
Messages must take the spotlight
Technological intervention is also given a key place in the new guidance, where operators are encouraged to embrace automated mechanisms that detect problematic patterns such as frequent deposits, extended play session times, or serial failed withdrawal attempts.
An escalation process is established to guarantee that players exhibiting potentially problematic behavior are sent to responsible gaming specialists. Experts can then review player activity and, if necessary, send individuals to behavioral health professionals for further support.
ROGA also recommends integrating responsible gaming messages across VIP player communication and engagement protocols to guide all host-client interactions. The guidelines stipulate that promotions or incentives should not be distributed to excluded players, those under cool-off periods, suspended, or banned accounts. Additionally, all VIP players must be allowed to opt out of bonus distribution.
Transparency is another recurring theme throughout the guidelines. Operators should provide VIP players with in-depth access to their own activity data, such as deposits, bets, and withdrawals.
Additionally, during onboarding, VIP players must acknowledge that they are aware of the available responsible gaming tools and resources. Education must persist, with operators being responsible for providing standard materials that promote responsible gambling practices.
Although the best practices are nonbinding, ROGA guaranteed that its members have collectively committed to applying these guidelines within reasonable timeframes in a commercial manner. The association indicated that the recommendations are just a beginning for further initiatives and has future plans to release additional guidance in other high-priority areas of responsible online gaming.
