Responsible Online Gaming Association Issues Guidelines For VIP Programs

VIP programs at online casinos and sportsbooks have been in the news — a lot — over the last year.

Amit Patel, the former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who stole $22 million from the team to fund his gambling habit, was a VIP; Sam Antar, the “Crazy Eddie” scion who lost $30 million to BetMGM over a six-month period, was a VIP; Lisa D’Alessandro’s husband, who she says gambled away virtually all his family’s money, was a VIP; and Kavita Fischer, a psychiatrist who accumulated six-figure losses and spiraled into debt before seeking help, was a VIP.

And while the above stories certainly paint a grim picture, there’s more to VIP programs than just disaster stories.

And in an effort to prevent even one more horrible outcome, the eight members of the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) — Bally’s, BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, Hard Rock, and Penn Entertainment — have issued an 11-point statement, establishing guidelines for its member VIP programs.

“Like in many sectors of entertainment, leisure and hospitality, sportsbook’s VIP programs aim to reward and retain loyal players, and it is essential that these programs are operated with a strong commitment to responsible gaming. These programs should support a shared understanding between hosts and players on the value of responsible gaming that fosters long-term loyalty and player well-being,” ROGA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley said in a press release. “There is a robust conversation ongoing regarding VIP programs, which is why we have prioritized this issue, as it is essential to provide research-driven guidance to adequately support these programs to help keep VIP players’ experience fun and recreational.”

The guidelines

The 11 guidelines are:

• Training and ongoing education for VIP hosts.
• Automated reviews among VIP players, looking for “potentially risky” behavior.
• Measures to escalate potential problematic play to a responsible gambling specialist and take action on a case-by-case basis.
• Integrate RG messaging into VIP communications.
• Protocols to help guide interactions betweens VIP hosts and VIP players.
• Giving VIPs the ability to opt-out of promos, bonuses, and incentives, and ban VIP hosts from offering the same to any VIP who is in a cool-off period, has self-excluded, or is currently suspended from wagering.
• Provide VIP players with access to their data, including deposits, wagers, and withdrawals.
• Confirm that VIPs are aware of responsible gambling tools.
• Provide responsible gambling education materials to VIPs.
• Annual reviews of VIP programs.
• Operators continuing to update methods for responsible gambling as they are developed.

ROGA was founded in March 2024, and the eight operators account for 90% of nationwide legal online gambling handle.

The members have committed over $20 million thus far to fund responsible gambling research.