• by Kurt Stuhllemmer , Op-Ed Contributor, August 22, 2025

Being treated like a VIP is normally exactly the customer experience brands want to offer. Unless they’re a gambling company, such as DraftKings. It has just settled two lawsuits, for undisclosed amounts, that challenged the casino business for rewarding VIP customers, including problem gamblers, with incentives to deposit more money to cover losses. 

It is a symptom of a raging battle between operators to get a share of the massive growth in gambling that is being fueled by legislators relaxing laws and allowing brands to bring Americans a wide range of online betting and casino sites. These factors are combining to prompt The Economist to predict online gambling revenues in the U.S. will either treble or quadruple in size over the next five years. 

The legal settlements underline a harsh reality, though. Gambling businesses need to approach branding and advertising in a more empathetic manner.

Alongside their agencies, they must shift to prioritizing wellness over winning. This is because gambling brands have a partially negative perception among some consumers who fear the thrill of winning may not be worth risking the downside of addiction they occasionally read about in the news. 

The DraftKings settlements only draw attention to this fear -- meaning that the industry needs to reassure those who are yet to open accounts that they care. They need people to know they are taking steps to limit the impact of losses, not exacerbate them.

The time has come for to promote responsible gambling and reliable protection over offers of life-changing winnings set against photos of casino chips stacked high. 

Make responsible gambling the heart of your media strategy

For media agencies, this means thinking beyond reach and frequency. As responsible gambling becomes core to brand identity, media environments must reinforce -- not contradict -- those values.

That means favoring placements that support transparency and trust and avoiding youth exposure and inappropriate contexts. Provide space for brand storytelling around wellbeing and safeguards.

Agencies must work with brands to build media plans that are measurable, safe, and empathetic, not just efficient. Rather than simply focus on reach, conversion and efficiency, agencies must factor in responsible growth.

Shift the storytelling: From winnings to wellness

This is where media creativity matters. Today’s audiences want honesty, not hype. Gambling ads need to evolve from quick wins to meaningful engagement and media strategy must enable this shift.

Think programmatic safeguards, but then go beyond the basic exclusion of toxic or high-risk environments. Instead evaluate buys against trust builds.

Does the buy help to establish confidence, relevance or credibility? High-impact placements for “human stories” and responsible messaging become priority buying criteria within the strategy. Contextual targeting around mental health, sport, or community content can help to reinforce the strategic agenda, think responsible storytelling as an imperative, not a nice to have.

Your media plan isn’t just a delivery mechanism -- it’s the stage for behavior change.

Engage in open, responsible communication in every channel

The more open the brand, the more selective media choices must be. Transparent reporting, safer targeting and visible brand values aren’t just owned media functions -- they must shape your paid strategy too.

Media buyers should be pushing their clients for better audience controls and content adjacency, insist on ethical advertising frameworks from partners.

Include brand safety and responsibility KPIs in campaign measurement and align on these at briefing stage not after the fact. Pushing this as part of your buying strategy will not only mean we are doing the right thing but will also help you win more work as a valuable USP in your strategic thinking.

The role of any world class-media planning and buying team is to lead the conversation, don’t just buy space.

Media can be the most powerful lever for trust, or the most damaging. Gambling brands have an opportunity to reshape cultural perception, and media agencies are gatekeepers to this influence.

They can "own" this responsibility by partnering with media owners on innovation in responsible gambling formats and investing in long-form, high-attention formats that create space for nuance, not noise.

Great media plans do more than drive traffic -- they build credibility.

Gambling brands and their media agencies have a powerful role to play in the evolution of gambling brands. The question isn’t just "Are we compliant?" It’s "Are we helping brands become trusted?"

The cost of getting it wrong for clients and consumers is rising. But the reward for getting it right? Media that delivers more than conversions. It delivers reputation, trust, and long-term brand equity.

So, the best advice is to audit media plans and challenge assumptions because gambling brands that lead with responsibility won't just survive, they will thrive.