September 14, 2024
Dear Friends,
This fall, Americans across our nation will gather with their friends, families, and neighbors to enjoy the start of a new football season. Sports have long served as a unifying activity for the American people — an opportunity for communities to come together and enjoy a common, beloved pastime. But in recent years, the gambling industry has embedded itself deeper and deeper into that pastime, turning every moment of every sporting event into an opportunity to place a bet.
Whether you’re scrolling on social media, driving past billboards on the highway, or listening to your favorite radio station, you’ve probably experienced some of the betting industry’s endless barrage of flashy promotions. These ubiquitous and predatory advertisements, designed explicitly to hook new customers on a known addictive product, are just one symptom of the deepening relationship between sports and the gambling industry — a relationship that puts the lives and financial futures of countless Americans at risk. With so much at stake, it is well past time for Congress to step in and take a comprehensive, public health-focused approach to this issue. That’s why this week, I joined with Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut to introduce the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act, better known as the SAFE Bet Act.
I’ve been a proud champion on addiction and recovery issues throughout my career — leading the way on efforts to address the opioid crisis and expand access to mental health and substance use treatments. That’s why I’ve been so concerned with what we’ve seen since the 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed states to legalize sports betting, with calls to problem gambling helplines skyrocketing and millions of Americans struggling with addiction. I was particularly disturbed by studies showing that half of those living with a gambling addiction will contemplate suicide, and that one out of five will make an attempt. With those alarming numbers in mind, I set out to meet directly with numerous individuals and families who have experienced gambling addiction firsthand. And after hearing their heartbreaking stories of lives destroyed by this growing crisis, I knew I had to take action.
Our SAFE Bet Act represents the first comprehensive effort to require states that have legalized mobile sports betting to hold operators to minimum federal standards. With public health at the center of our approach, our bill focuses on three key categories of regulation: advertising, affordability, and artificial intelligence.
First, the SAFE Bet Act aims to rein in the never-ending cascade of gambling advertisements with new restrictions on the timing and content of these promotions. Under our legislation, advertising for this known addictive product would be limited to times and spaces where children are not likely to be in the audience, and the content of these ads would be limited to brand awareness rather than inducements to gamble. Just as you don’t see people drinking in alcohol advertisements, we shouldn’t see celebrities teaching you how to place their favorite parlay.
Critically, our bill would also place the responsibility on sportsbooks to not serve customers who are “chasing losses.” By limiting account deposits to 5 times in 24 hours, prohibiting deposits placed by credit card, and requiring operators to conduct “affordability checks” on customers before accepting certain large wagers, we are ensuring that sportsbooks cannot entice customers to bet more than they can afford. Every state in this country has “dram shop” laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol to visibly intoxicated individuals. We need to hold the gambling industry to that same standard.
Finally, the SAFE Bet Act sets minimum standards for the use of artificial intelligence by sportsbooks. Currently, gambling companies use AI to scoop up all sorts of data about their customers — including when they like to bet and what they like to bet on. Then, they use this information to create individually targeted promotions with one purpose — to keep you gambling and losing money on their platform at all hours of the day and night. These practices are predatory, and they need to stop.
Our bill also takes action to ban prop bets on college and amateur athletes and create a national gambling self-exclusion list to help those who want to stop gambling stay on their path to recovery. Taken together, the provisions of this legislation are designed to prevent harm before it occurs — and to put an end to a system in which the gambling industry crafts the regulations for its own product, or worse, passes that responsibility on to its consumers.
The SAFE Bet Act does not seek to ban sports betting. In fact, our goal is the opposite. With common-sense regulations in place, we can ensure that gambling is made safer for the public to enjoy. As leaders and policymakers, we share a common duty to protect people and their families from suffering the tremendous harm that comes from gambling addiction. With that solemn responsibility in mind, I call on my colleagues and all those who have a stake in the world of sports betting to support the SAFE Bet Act and this comprehensive public health approach.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- Next week, on Wednesday, September 18th at 6:00 PM, my office is joining the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to host a Service Academy Night!
- The event will be held at the UAlbany ETEC Building, located at 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12203. You can view the map on the registration page HERE to find the exact location of the building.
- This event is an educational opportunity for students, parents, and guidance counselors to learn more about the congressional nomination process for the United States military service academies.
- At the event, you’ll have the chance to engage with representatives from our nation’s service academies, including:
- U.S. Military Academy
- U.S. Naval Academy
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- Army and Navy R.O.T.C.
- You can register for the event by clicking HERE and reserving your spot.
- You can also view the event flyer HERE and scan the QR code for more information.
- We hope to see you there!
