Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Katie Britt have introduced the Game Act, a bill meant to stop targeted gambling advertising from reaching minors. The measure would bar covered digital platforms from showing ads for sports gambling platforms to people under 18, including services marketed as prediction markets.
The bill’s formal title is the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement Act of 2026. It defines a covered digital advertising platform to include social media sites, public-facing websites and other ad-supported online services with more than 100 million unique monthly users or visitors.
Under the proposal, the ban would begin one year after enactment. A targeted ad is broadly defined as one linked to personal information, inferred preferences or a device identifier, while context-based ads that do not vary with personal data are excluded.
Enforcement would sit with the Federal Trade Commission, which would treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts under the FTC Act. After three or more instances, the agency would refer the platform to the Attorney General, and the Justice Department could fine repeat violators up to $100,000 for each ad shown to a minor.
In the Senate press release announcing the bill, Blumenthal said sportsbooks and prediction markets were treating young people “like a gold rush,” while Britt called the rise in sports gambling among minors, especially young boys, “jarring.” Britt also said targeted advertising can serve as “the gateway to dangerous habits” that can become addictions.
The push follows a 2025 Common Sense Media survey of 1,017 boys aged 11 to 17. It found 61% had seen gambling ads on YouTube, 60% on social media and 57% during live or streaming sports broadcasts. Nearly half had seen posts about gambling, although only 14% said they had gone looking for them. The survey also found that 93% said ads did not prompt them to gamble, while 7% reported gambling after seeing ads.
The same survey found more than a third of boys were gambling before they were old enough to vote. It also found 23% were involved in gaming-related gambling, 12% in sports-related gambling, and among boys who gambled, 34% did sports-related gambling and 64% did gaming-related gambling.
Spectrum News also reported that mental health professionals have seen an uptick in minors with gambling problems. Industry groups have acknowledged concern, social media companies say they already work to keep minors from gambling online, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau has argued that a blanket ban is unnecessary in favour of age-based protections. NetChoice and the Sports Betting Alliance did not comment, and Blumenthal said he and Britt would press for hearings and action as the session runs short.
