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The Gambling Addiction Recovery, Investment, and Treatment (GRIT) Act is back on the agenda for the United States Congress in 2025. Without Republican co-sponsors and historical opposition from the American Gaming Association, the Democrats who filed the legislation will have a heavy lift to get the bill enacted.
Despite the fact that the act only redirects existing tax revenues, it would represent an expansion of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services’ responsibilities at a time when the majority party is prioritizing government cutbacks. The legislation also faces some resistance from the gambling industry in the US as well.
Blumenthal, Salinas sponsor GRIT Act for 2025
According to a press release from Rep. Andrea Salinas (D, Ore-6), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and she have refiled the GRIT Act because “many state health agencies and nonprofits that study and treat gambling addiction are severely underfunded.”
To address that issue, the act takes half of the proceeds from the federal tax on regulated sports wagering revenue and earmarks it for problem gambling-related recipients. Most of that money, 75%, would go to individual states through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program.
The other 25% would go to the National Institute of Drug Abuse to fund research grants. The bill also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to file a report with Congress on the efficacy of the programs receiving funding.
While the press release touts that the GRIT Act does not raise taxes or create more bureaucracy, it still could see opposition from Republicans emphasizing a reduction in services at the federal level in the US.
Republicans targeting federal health initiatives for cessation
Legislation that expands funding for health research and treatment services flies in the face of the Republican agenda in Washington, DC. Oliver Milman of The Guardian reports that the National Institutes of Health is cutting its funding by $4 billion annually under Republican directives, for example, affecting medical research. In response, attorneys general from nearly half of the US states have filed suit to block the cuts and restore the funding.
Republicans have also halted communications within HHS and removed health information from the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That suggests finding Republican sponsorship for the GRIT Act will be difficult. Without that bipartisan support, chances are slim that Blumenthal and Salinas will see action on their bill.
There are some in Congress and the gambling industry who might not be disappointed to see the GRIT Act languish.
Federal gambling tax presents connected issue
Blumenthal’s and Salinas’ sales pitch of using federal gambling tax revenue to fund problem gambling research and treatment is a knock against the GRIT Act from the perspective of those who wish to abolish that levy. There has been some movement toward that end, with a non-partisan bill that would have abolished the federal excise tax on sportsbook revenue appearing as recently as 2023.
In addition, the American Gaming Association has frequently called for the elimination of the federal tax on sports gambling. It opposed last year’s GRIT Act, saying it further entrenches that tax by tying it to the funding for problem gambling services. Since this year’s bill is similar, that resistance will presumably continue.
Regardless of the obstacles, Blumenthal’s and Salinas’ filings keep the GRIT Act alive until a more favorable political landscape emerges. That will likely require a Democrat trifecta in Washington, DC.
