First annual study finds industry spends 16x more on TV advertising than on PR and earned media — while responsible gambling programs receive less than one-eighth the budget of celebrity endorsement deals
NEW YORK, April 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 5WPR, one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, today published the Gaming Trust Index — the first annual study dedicated to analyzing marketing spend allocation and brand credibility outcomes across the U.S. sports betting, online gaming, and land-based casino markets.
The index is built on publicly available market data, advertising spend figures from Kantar Media, MediaRadar, and iSpot.tv, public financial disclosures from Flutter Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Penn Entertainment, and DraftKings, and earned media analysis of more than 47,000 articles published over a 12-month period.
The Central Finding
The U.S. sports betting and online gaming industries spent an estimated $3.9 billion on advertising and marketing in 2025. Television advertising received $1.42 billion — 36% of total spend. Celebrity and athlete ambassador programs received $520 million. Earned media and PR received $90 million — 2.3% of the total. Responsible gambling programs received $60 million, or 1.5%.
|
Channel |
Est. 2025 Spend |
Share of Total |
|
National TV |
$1.42 billion |
36.4 % |
|
Digital performance |
$980 million |
25.1 % |
|
Celebrity / athlete partnerships |
$520 million |
13.3 % |
|
Sports sponsorships |
$410 million |
10.5 % |
|
Paid social |
$280 million |
7.2 % |
|
Out-of-home |
$140 million |
3.6 % |
|
Earned media / PR |
$90 million |
2.3 % |
|
Responsible gambling programs |
$60 million |
1.5 % |
|
TOTAL |
$3.90 billion |
100 % |
“The gambling industry has built enormous awareness over the past five years. What it has not built, in proportion to that spend, is credibility. Those are different investments — and the industry’s current allocation reflects a market that hasn’t fully recognized the shift from acquisition to retention that defines where the competition now lives.”
— Matt Caiola, CEO, 5WPR
The Celebrity Partnership Gap
The industry spent $520 million on celebrity partnerships in 2025 — nearly nine times its investment in responsible gambling communications. The index documents this ratio as both a brand credibility gap and an emerging regulatory and investor exposure, as ESG analysts covering publicly traded operators have increasingly included RG investment as a proportion of marketing spend in published research.
Land-Based Casino: The Digital Gap
The index extends its analysis to the $67.8 billion land-based casino market. Major operators including MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, Penn Entertainment, and Boyd Gaming have invested minimally in the digital content and earned media infrastructure that determines how their brands appear in AI-generated search results — a vulnerability the index identifies as a generative engine optimization (GEO) gap that is widening every quarter.
Online Gaming: Most Underspent Segment
U.S. online gaming generated $12.8 billion in GGR in 2025 across seven legal states, with New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia in active legislative consideration. The segment receives the lowest communications investment per GGR dollar of any segment in the analysis.
“Every state that legalizes in the next two years is a communications competition as much as a product competition. The operators building earned media presence now — before those markets open — will have a structural advantage that advertising spend at launch cannot replicate.”
— Matt Caiola, CEO, 5WPR
Availability
The full Gaming Trust Index 2026 is available at no cost and without registration at 5wpr.com/research/gaming-trust-index-2026.
About 5WPR
5W PR is a full-service PR and digital marketing agency, known for cutting-edge programs that engage businesses, issues, and ideas. Founded more than 20 years ago, 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by leading industry publication O’Dwyer’s, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, and honored as a Top Place to Work in Communications in 2026 by Ragan. The agency continues to deliver a resourceful, bold, and results-driven approach to communications for leading businesses, with more than 250 professionals serving clients across B2C sectors including Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit; B2B specialties including Corporate Communications and Reputation Management; as well as Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing, including Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO. In addition to its business accolades, 5W was named to the Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year list. For more information and to join our team, visit 5W Careers.
Media Contact
Chris Bergin
cbergin@5wpr.com
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SOURCE 5W Public Relations
