Major hockey games in the NHL feature gambling messages more than three times a minute, according to the latest data.
Research conducted by the University of Bristol in a recent study found that NHL games featured an average of 3.5 gambling messages per broadcast minute. For comparison, the BNA shows just 0.26 messages per minute, or one in around every five minutes. That represents an increase from data collected back in 2023, which showed that 2.53 messages per minute were appearing in NHL games.
Sports betting is certainly on the rise in the US, and experts have raised concerns that not enough care is being taken to protect those who may be at risk from adverse effects. Gambling messages are showing up in a wide variety of prominent ad spaces in hockey games, such as rinkside adverts, jersey sponsorships, and in-studio segments.
That includes ads from brands like Play Alberta, ESPN Bet, and BetMGM, among others. The writers of the study, led by Raffaello Rossi, refer to this as “an aggressive integration of gambling messaging to the broadcasts,” particularly as there’s little to no inclusion of harm reduction slogans or age warning labels.
What’s next for gambling messages?
The study closes with recommendations to follow other countries’ lead in restricting gambling ads. 6,282 gambling messages were recorded across the 2025 NBA and NGL finals, highlighting that it’s not just an issue for hockey games – although the problem is more strongly felt. While the NBA seems to be reducing visible gambling content, perhaps due to attempting to be friendly towards platforms like YouTube with stronger content guidelines, the NHL continues to feature gambling promotion across its broadcasts.
The writers encourage regulation around including harm reduction elements and age warnings, in line with gambling harm reduction efforts, as well as looking overseas for examples of responsible practice. Countries such as Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands have implemented either bans or restrictions on gambling messages, to avoid the risk of exposure for young or vulnerable people.
