U.S. Congress Working To 'Ban' Specific Gambling Ads

Sports gambling in the United States isn't going away, but U.S. Congress is working to make it safer longterm.

As sports gambling has become legalized in nearly every U.S. state over the past decade, billions of dollars have been used to advertise various sports books, betting promotions and more. You can't watch a sporting event these days without being hit in the face with several gambling ads.

But U.S. Congress wants to stop gambling ads that could be specifically targeted at minors.

U.S. Senators are working on a bill that would ban gambling ads targeted at minors, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Two U.S. senators, Sens. Katie Britt (R., Ala.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), are working together on the bill.

The bill will be called the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement Act, and it's set to create "a federal prohibition on ads on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram that promote sports betting to minors."

"Many states and big social-media companies already have such bans, but critics say they are ineffective and don't have adequate punishments," the Wall Street Journal reported.

"Under the new bill, the Federal Trade Commission would enforce the provisions, and penalties could reach up to $100,000 per advertisement. The bill would exclude ads seen by a wide audience during sporting events and any results from minors actively searching for betting content."

Sports fans think the bill is necessary

"This needs to happen," one argued.

"Took the industry long enough to become a political problem," another wrote.

"It's not just online ads.  Almost all televised sports have ads promoting gambling.  Fan Duel has its own network. There is a percentage of people that lack impulse control and others that are gambling with money they cannot afford to lose. States that allowed the proliferation of gambling are going to regret it," another wrote.

It'll be interesting to see how the gambling industry responds.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 9:32 AM.