A newly proposed bill would require states that allow sports betting to meet minimum federal standards on advertising, affordability and artificial intelligence.
The SAFE Bet Act was introduced on Thursday (September 12) by Rep. Paul D. Tonko (D-York) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), according to a press release issued by Rep. Tonko’s office on Friday (September 13).
The bill aims to address the public health impacts of sports gambling and create a “safer, less addictive product,” the statement said.
According to a fact sheet released by Tonko’s office on Friday, the SAFE Bet Act would ban the use of artificial intelligence to offer personalized promotions or develop gambling products based on players’ gambling habits.
The legislation will also focus on solvency by limiting the amount of deposits casino operators can receive from customers within a 24-hour period, requiring operators to conduct “solvency checks” on customers before accepting bets above a certain amount, and banning the acceptance of credit card deposits, according to the fact sheet.
On the advertising side, the SAFE Bet Act would ban sportsbook advertising during live sporting events and certain programming designed to induce gambling, according to the fact sheet.
Tonko said in a press release that gambling disorder is on the rise because gambling opportunities have become so widespread.
“We have an obligation to protect people and their families from the devastating harms associated with problem gambling,” Tonko said.
Blumenthal added in a press release, “This bill is a public health issue — it’s about stopping addiction, saving lives, and ensuring that people, especially young people, are protected from exploitation.”
The American Gaming Association, a trade group for the casino gambling industry, released a statement on the SAFE Bet Act on Thursday, saying regulated sports betting operators pay billions of dollars in state taxes, protect consumers from bookmakers and illegal offshore websites and work to ensure responsible, positive play.
“Six years after sports betting was legalized, the introduction of a heavy-handed federal ban is an affront to state legislatures and gambling regulators, who have dedicated significant time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks specific to their jurisdictions and have continued to iteratively refine them as the market evolves,” Chris Silke, senior vice president of government relations for the American Gaming Association, said in a statement.
On September 6, it was reported that more than $220 billion has been wagered in the U.S. sports betting industry since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 overturned a law banning state-licensed sportsbooks.
