For CEOs leading companies in the online gambling industry, visibility is no longer the biggest challenge — credibility is. Whether you're building an online casino, sports betting platform, fantasy gaming company, or a B2B iGaming business, your reputation influences regulators, investors, strategic partners, affiliates, and customers long before they experience your product.
Many founders assume that hiring an online gambling PR agency will immediately generate media coverage and accelerate growth. In reality, the most successful iGaming public relations campaigns begin long before the first press release is distributed. The companies that earn lasting attention are those that prepare their business, leadership team, and corporate narrative before engaging outside communications professionals.
Before investing in strategic communications or broader casino industry reputation management, every CEO should complete these three essential steps.
1. Build a Credible Compliance and Responsible Gaming Narrative
Few industries are more invested in trust and regulatory credibility than online gambling.
Journalists, regulators, institutional investors, payment providers, and prospective partners increasingly evaluate companies on far more than revenue growth. They want to understand how leadership approaches licensing, responsible gaming, anti-money laundering (AML), cybersecurity, customer protection, and long-term regulatory compliance.
Before hiring an iGaming public relations firm, every CEO should be able to answer several fundamental questions:
What licensed jurisdictions does your company serve?
How do you protect players and promote responsible gaming?
Why should regulators, investors, and customers trust your organization?
These answers become the foundation for your credibility. An experienced online gambling PR agency can amplify credibility — but it cannot create it.
2. Define the Business Objectives
One of the biggest mistakes founders make is hiring a PR agency simply because they "want more press." Media coverage is valuable only when it advances measurable business objectives.
Before beginning any communications program, determine what success should look like over the next 12 to 24 months. Your objectives might include:
Entering new gaming markets
Supporting Series A, Series B, or later-stage fundraising
Increasing investor confidence
Attracting strategic partnerships
Recruiting senior executives
Establishing category leadership
Accelerating customer acquisition
Preparing the company for acquisition or an IPO
When public relations aligns with business strategy, every article, executive interview, keynote speech, podcast appearance, and media mention contributes to enterprise value.
3. Choose a Public Relations Agency with Proven iGaming Experience
Not all public relations agencies are equipped to represent companies operating in the online gambling industry.
Unlike many technology sectors, iGaming public relations requires practitioners who understand an evolving regulatory landscape, jurisdiction-specific advertising restrictions, licensing requirements, responsible gaming expectations, and the heightened scrutiny surrounding gambling businesses. A communications strategy that works for a SaaS startup or consumer brand can quickly fall short in an industry where a poorly worded announcement or misplaced media opportunity may create regulatory concerns or reputational risk.
The best online gambling PR agencies bring more than communications expertise; they bring industry experience. They understand the nuances of online casinos, sportsbooks, payment technologies, affiliates, gaming legislation, and the competitive dynamics that shape the market. Just as importantly, they have spent years developing relationships with the reporters, editors, podcast hosts, conference organizers, analysts, and industry influencers who consistently cover the sector. Those relationships often determine whether your company becomes part of the industry's most important conversations or is overlooked entirely.
When evaluating an agency, ask about its experience representing gaming operators, suppliers, technology companies, and sports betting brands. Review its media placements and understanding of the regulatory environment. The right agency should already know the ecosystem in which your business operates — not learn it at your expense.
Finally, understand that PR is a marathon, not a sprint. The good PR campaigns we see today began twelve months ago. The great campaigns began two or more years ago. Credibility and awareness take time to cultivate and require constant maintenance. That patience will pay off when your iGaming platform is considered an industry leader.
Written by
Kevin Mercuri
Kevin Mercuri is the founder and CEO of Propheta Communications, a New York City public relations, social media, and fractional CMO agency built around startup and early-stage company growth. Founded in 2008, Propheta works with clients in technology, FinTech, AI, gaming, healthcare, and consumer to build credibility, establish category leadership, and accelerate market adoption. Mercuri brings more than three decades across PR, corporate communications, and public affairs, with prior leadership roles at Edelman's PR21.
