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Reps. Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Dan Goldman, D-NY, introduced bipartisan legislation on May 21 that would direct the federal government to conduct a multiyear study of gambling disorder, including its causes, development and long-term effects. The bill, known as the Gambling Disorder Health Study Act, would also direct researchers to evaluate prevention, intervention and treatment strategies.
Bill would first fund federal gambling study
Designated HR 8970, the bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it awaits further action.
Americans have gambled online in growing numbers since the US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, yet no federal agency has been designated or funded to study the trend. The legislation aims to close that gap.
“We are in a new age of gambling addiction as sports betting and prediction markets have proliferated into every aspect of life,” Moore said. “Lawmakers and all Americans need to take a deeper look into the causes and effects of gambling addiction so we can best craft real solutions. This bill will go a long way in helping us address this crisis.”
Goldman, the bill’s lead sponsor, said gambling addiction has become an urgent public health issue, particularly among young men. “This bipartisan legislation is a commonsense first step to help us understand the full implications of the apps and sites that have made gambling readily accessible 24/7, identify those most at risk of addiction, and develop strategies to intervene and treat them, just as we do with other forms of addiction. Congress must take a more active role in fighting gambling addiction and pass this bill,” he said.
Lauren Finke, senior director of policy at The Kennedy Forum, said the organization backs the bill because of how quickly online gambling has spread through American life. “We are increasingly concerned about how this experiment will unfold for those who will inevitably develop dependencies that can hurt families, weaken relationships, harm finances and destroy mental health,” she said.
The bill would direct 10% of existing federal excise tax revenue collected from state-authorized sports wagers toward the study — not new spending, but a reallocation of tax dollars the government already collects from legal sportsbooks.
The US currently levies a 0.25% excise tax on legal sports bets plus an annual $50-per-employee fee on sportsbook operators, generating roughly $400 million a year that currently flows into the general fund. The study would run for up to three fiscal years, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to report annually to Congress on its progress and to issue policy recommendations.
How sports betting’s growth fueled an addiction crisis
Sports betting has grown from a single operational state in 2017 to 39 states by 2024, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico as of 2025. Total annual sports wagers climbed from $4.7 billion in 2017 to roughly $220 billion across traditional online sportsbooks and newer prediction markets. The broader US commercial gaming industry generated a record $78.72 billion in 2025, a 9.2% increase over the prior year, according to industry data.
Today, 27% of Americans hold an active account with an online sportsbook, including more than half of men ages 18 to 49. Within that same age group, 33% of men say they have also used an online, event-based prediction market to bet on sports.
That growth is mirrored in rising concern about addiction. Internet searches for gambling-addiction help have increased 23% since 2018, and an estimated 2% to 3% of the US population meets at least one criterion for gambling disorder and reports related problems.
Why gambling disorder has been overlooked
Gambling disorder is classified as a behavioral addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Despite that recognition, it has not drawn the same level of federal research attention as other addictions. The federal government collects excise tax revenue from gambling activity, but has not designated or funded an agency to study the disorder’s scope.
The Gambling Disorder Health Study Act is endorsed by The Kennedy Forum, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the National Council on Problem Gambling, the Foundation on Drug Policy Solutions, the New York Council on Problem Gambling, Texans Against Gambling and Stop Predatory Gambling.
