On a recent episode of “Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels,” Sen. Katie Britt discussed the effects of gambling ads on youth, along with the issue of children circumventing age restrictions to access sports betting sites. She outlined The GAME Act, which is recent legislation introduced to put restrictions on sports betting advertisements towards youth.
Sen. Britt mentioned how it’s not just teenagers actively searching for betting sites. Children can see them pop up while watching a video on YouTube or other social media platforms. Even when playing video games, they see advertisements for sports betting. In the interview with Jillian Michaels, Sen. Britt states that 59% of youth have been exposed to these advertisements without searching for sports betting.
This is problematic because studies show that individuals who place bets before turning 18 are much more likely to develop addiction. Sen. Britt mentioned that those who start gambling as minors are 50% more likely to deal with addiction later in life.
Aside from viewing sports betting ads through the algorithm online, children are exposed to it during broadcasts of sporting events. It’s embedded in the viewing experience, making it difficult to avoid. This is why Sen. Britt has introduced The GAME Act.
The GAME Act aims to “prohibit covered digital advertising platforms from displaying targeted advertisements directed to a minor that promote sports gambling platforms.” While the restrictions don’t ban sports betting ads, they prevent companies from using behavioral profiling or any other data to create personalized marketing that can reach youth.
This legislation could help prevent children from being exposed to sports betting marketing while not actively searching for it online. The GAME Act is still going through the legislative process, but it’s a bipartisan bill that was introduced at a time when enhanced protections against sports betting exposure are widely agreed upon. It’s clear that there is momentum to address this issue.
In the interview, both Michaels and Sen. Britt discuss how children are tech-savvy these days, able to use VPNs to bypass location or age-based restrictions. They’re also able to figure out ways to set up a betting account by using their parent’s personal information.
This highlights the importance of enhancing verification requirements from sports betting sites. Lawmakers are already looking for ways to address this issue. Earlier this year, Rep. Josh Gottenheimer introduced the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act.
This is where betting sites would use facial recognition technology to confirm a user’s age. It would make it much more difficult for children to access betting sites, which is why it’s a bipartisan bill that has received support even from those within the industry, including Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour.
Like The GAME Act, the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act is still in the early stages of the legislative process. Together, both bills have gained momentum to enhance youth protections against sports betting exposure.
