Responsible Gaming Shares New Guidelines for VIP Hosts

Responsible gaming advocates are taking another swing at curbing the rise of problem gambling.

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has released new guidelines for how sportsbook VIP hosts should operate. The guidelines are based on studies conducted by the group to help ensure hosts aren’t pushing customers into placing bets.

While these guidelines don’t set a legal precedent, they will likely be applied to several significant operators. That includes the eight sportsbooks that are ROGA members: Bally’s, BetMGM, bet365, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, Hard Rock, and ESPN Bet.

Guidelines Focus On Keeping Bettors Safe

There were many different best practices included in the guidelines, but the majority focused on protecting bettors from problem gambling. Here are some of the most significant ones:

• Ongoing training for VIP Hosts
• The use of new technology to detect risky betting from VIP clients
• Responsible gaming messages are included in chats between hosts and players
• No promo offers for players who are on the self-exclusion list or taking a “cool off” period
• Online sportsbooks already use some of the best practices shared by ROGA, but these guidelines take them a step further.

VIP Hosts Have Been Controversial

Most online sportsbooks use VIP hosts to help their more active players. These personal concierges can help provide bettors with special promos, quickly resolve issues, and answer any questions.

While the idea of a VIP Host is a good one, the role has come under fire from responsible gaming advocates. It started when a former Jaguars employee was arrested for stealing money from the team to bet on sports. He admitted to the theft but placed the blame on his FanDuel VIP Host, accusing them of pushing him into betting beyond his means.

The scandal shed light on how these hosts operate, revealing that some were sending hundreds of messages per day without regard for a player’s betting patterns or income.

ROGA is hoping that its new guidelines will set guardrails to ensure these types of scandals don’t continue.

Federal Crackdown Could Still be Coming

ROGA’s new guidelines are a significant step forward for responsible gaming, but they may not be enough to satisfy federal lawmakers. Many have been calling for a crackdown on the industry to help stop the growth of problem gambling. Legislation has failed to receive enough support, but that will begin to change as the problem continues to spread.

If ROGA’s guidelines don’t seem to have an impact, expect to see a bigger push for more federal regulations in 2026.