Britt, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Ban Sports Betting Ads for Minors as Under-30 Online Wagering Hits 20%
Updated
Updated · Fortune · May 28
Britt, Blumenthal Introduce Bill to Ban Sports Betting Ads for Minors as Under-30 Online Wagering Hits 20%
2 articles · Updated · Fortune · May 28
A bipartisan bill from Sens. Katie Britt and Richard Blumenthal would bar social media companies and advertisers from showing sports betting ads to minors.
The push comes as betting and prediction platforms use memes, influencer-style ads and game-like features to draw in younger users, while some services remain open to customers as young as 18.
Pew found about 2 in 10 Americans under 30 wagered online in the past year, up from 7% three years earlier; a study of 588 million Polymarket trades found 69% of users lost money.
Critics say low entry costs, leaderboards, rewards and social features can normalize risky behavior during a key developmental window, potentially turning 18- and 19-year-olds into long-term gambling customers.
Are gamified betting apps creating a new generation of addicts before they can legally buy a beer?
As states sue prediction markets, who will win the fight to regulate the future of online betting?
When trading on sports injuries feels like a game, where is the line between investing and gambling?
Curbing the $121 Billion Online Gambling Boom: The GAME Act and the Fight to Protect Minors from Digital Betting Ads
Overview
The Britt-Blumenthal GAME Act is a bipartisan response to growing concerns about the impact of digital sports betting ads on young people. Senators Katie Britt and Richard Blumenthal, a long-time advocate for youth online safety, introduced this legislation to address aggressive marketing tactics by the gambling industry. Blumenthal highlighted how sportsbooks are flooding the internet with ads to attract minors, leading to more high schoolers and even middle schoolers gambling on their phones and facing real risks of addiction. The Act aims to ban such advertisements, reflecting an urgent need to protect youth from life-altering gambling problems.