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Democratic Congressmen Richard Blumenthal and Paul Tonko Push Federal Gambling Reform
Posted on: September 25, 2026, 02:00h.
Last updated on: September 25, 2026, 02:02h.
Key Points
- Blumenthal and Tonko are backing a new federal push to reform gambling regulation as sports betting and prediction markets continue expanding
- The SAFE Bet Act would add federal guardrails for sportsbooks, while the Prediction Markets Security & Integrity Act would impose consumer protections and shift oversight to states
- The American Gaming Association and prediction market industry oppose the proposed federal intervention
US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) are calling on the federal government to step in to better protect consumers as sports betting and gambling-like prediction markets continue their rapid growth.
Saying the gambling industry needs reform, Blumenthal and Tonko joined the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) this week in Washington, DC, where they launched a movement to overhaul the federal and state regulation of gambling products. Along with Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG), a national nonprofit that helps families and friends impacted by gambling addiction, the PHAI is calling its campaign “Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform.”
The PHAI’s gambling policy is led by Dr. Harry Levant. In 2015, Levant, then a personal injury and criminal defense attorney, admitted to stealing nearly $2 million from his clients to fund his gambling habit. After surrendering his law license, Levant devoted his life to helping gambling addicts.
The mission is more critical than ever, Levant believes.
There is overwhelming evidence that we are in the midst of a mental health and public health crisis related to gambling addiction,” said Levant. “This movement is just the beginning. It is a cry from the nation that we’ve had enough.”
Levant believes the PHAI can rally bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress for gambling regulatory reform.
First Pieces of Legislation
Blumenthal and Tonko are supporting the PHAI and Levant by kicking off the gambling reform movement with the continued promotion of the SAFE Bet Act and the newly introduced Prediction Markets Security & Integrity Act.
The Supporting Affordability & Fairness With Every Bet Act seeks to implement various federal guardrails on state-licensed sportsbooks, including deposit and bet limits and regular “affordability checks” on customers. The Prediction Markets Security & Integrity Act would establish federally mandated consumer protections for online prediction markets and shift the regulation of such markets from the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to individual states.
We know that the gambling industry, which includes not only DraftKings and FanDuel but also the prediction markets, is exploiting problem gambling. They are relentlessly and tirelessly taking advantage of vulnerability to make more money,” Blumenthal said at the PHAI kickoff event.
Tonko said Levant and the PHAI have the congressmen’s full support.
“Together, we’re going to make this happen. We have to,” Tonko declared.
“It is important for us to take a known addictive product and make that product a safer product,” Tonko said. “I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
Industry Opposition
The legal gambling industry opposes federal intervention when it comes to regulation. The American Gaming Association says state regulators are best fit to regulate gambling, and that states already have comprehensive consumer protections and problem gambling programs in place.
The prediction market industry opposes Blumenthal’s Prediction Markets Security & Integrity Act, and regularly defends the industry’s claims that prediction markets are not gambling products but financial investing mechanisms.
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