Advocacy in Action

The State of New York filed a lawsuit against New York City-based Kalshi on Friday that could expose the company to at least $36 billion in claimed damages and other relief. The state alleged that Kalshi is illegally operating a gambling platform.The massive amount could come in the form of civil penalties, the forfeiture of allegedly illegal gains, and restitution to New Yorkers who lost money on

People in Illinois lost at least $7.7 billion on gambling in 2025, and the state has now officially recognized gambling addiction as a public health issue.On July 24, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2749, incorporating “gambling disorder” throughout the state’s Substance Use Disorder Act. The change expands and clarifies how Illinois can respond to gambling addiction through treatment and prev

A new and potentially financially harmful sports gambling product would allow fans to trade their teams’ performance in a way that resembles buying and selling stock-index futures.CME Group and FutureSports, two Chicago companies, announced the product in a press release on July 29. They said the launch is pending federal regulatory review.The companies plan to market a complex, continuously trada

A federal judge temporarily blocked Minnesota from enforcing the nation’s first state law that expressly bans many forms of prediction-market betting.U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, an appointee of President Joe Biden, granted a preliminary injunction Monday in favor of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Kalshi and Polymarket US.Both betting platforms have ties to President Donald T

A compact 36-minute Netflix documentary on prediction markets suggests a bleak future for these platforms. It’s difficult to disagree with the forecast.From fraud to addiction, Netflix squeezed an impressive range of material into such a short film. The Prediction Games, released on Sunday, July 26, featured a balanced mix of perspectives on these federally sanctioned platforms, including a 19-yea

DraftKings has prevailed in court over an Iowa man who sued the company for $14 million, and now the company wants some money from the person who filed suit.According to a bill of costs filed July 23, DraftKings is seeking approximately $23,500 in taxable court costs from Nicholas Bavas.In 2025, Bavas sued DraftKings and its Iowa affiliate, Crown IA Gaming, after the sportsbook voided five golf pa

The Massachusetts-based Public Health Advocacy Institute has scored a significant gambling-related victory for state residents.On July 23, the PHAI announced that it “resolved” a 2024 lawsuit against state gambling regulators involving a statutory requirement to share certain behavioral data with academic researchers.The lawsuit sought to compel the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to collect behav

I poke around the U.S. Library of Congress newspaper archives for fun sometimes (I’m a journalism nerd).There is a striking volume of articles dating back to the 1800s about people in the U.S. who reportedly died by suicide after gambling losses. These articles don’t mention addiction, just devastating losses, as gambling addiction wasn’t a recognized concept at the time.Pathological gambling ente

Under the guise of “protecting our children,” a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that, according to a legal expert, could expand online gambling nationwide.On the surface, H. R. 9706, the “Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act,” would require prediction markets and traditional online sportsbooks to use facial recognition technology to verify a user’s age before they ca

Gambling markets on LeBron James’ next NBA team have been impacted by a purported error by the Miami Heat, the current favorite to land James.There is no evidence of insider trading or market manipulation, but many fans on social media are running with such speculation.What happened? The Heat posted a link to a scheduled live stream titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference,” followed by

On Monday, ESPN announced a new podcast series on the gambling scandal that engulfed baseball’s best player just a few years ago.“The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani” will debut on July 28, the network said.The teaser: “Hosted by ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson, the six-part series examines one of the biggest scandals in baseball history and the collapse of the relationship between Shohei Oht

Generally, a prediction market bettor doesn’t face legal exposure. However, depending on your state, using a prediction market like Kalshi to wager on an election and also vote in that same election could expose you to legal problems.The laws and enforcement mechanisms are convoluted, but here’s an example: If you’re a regular person (i.e., not a candidate or insider) and make a bet on your state’

A House Agriculture Subcommittee held a hearing on prediction markets (e.g., Kalshi, Polymarket, etc.) Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill. The main takeaway was clear: these apps will keep financially harming many users through sports “contracts” unless the judicial branch of government stops them.In other words, Congress is a wet noodle, apparently impotent at this moment in time to address America’

Powerball lottery jackpots will soon grow much bigger — and faster. Wednesday’s Powerball drawing marks the first time the U.K. will be part of the previously U.S.-exclusive lottery game.As of writing, the estimated jackpot was worth $567 million (£423.8 million).In an apparent effort to keep pace with other booming forms of gambling, such as online casino gambling and prediction markets, Powerbal

The sports betting industry sometimes uses imagery of shadows to argue for the legalization of online gambling apps. This scare tactic should be brushed aside.Let’s examine a recent op-ed from the Sports Betting Alliance, a lobbying group for the legalization of traditional, house-banked online sports betting. It appeared in The Dallas Morning News on July 10 under the line, “Texas already has gam

About 1 in 5 Arizonans age 21 and over are experiencing gambling-related problems, according to a new state-commissioned study.That translates to more than 1 million Arizonans. The survey did not look at gambling problems among people under 21, which could add hundreds of thousands more to this figure of direct gambling-related harm.The research found that problem gambling has increased in Arizona

Using a prediction market like Kalshi or Polymarket to wager on the upcoming U.S. midterm elections could be a form of self-exploitation.The reason is that you’re assuming the financial risk while helping create a product that becomes more valuable through your participation.Your participation—and the money backing your opinion—is valuable. You’re not merely giving your opinion away. You’re paying

DraftKings has sued Philadelphia in federal court, seeking to halt an investigation into its sports betting practices and block enforcement of a local consumer protection ordinance, according to a report from Reuters.The lawsuit follows an April 24 subpoena from Philadelphia’s Law Department requesting information about DraftKings’ sports wagering operations, promotional credits and bonuses, VIP p

Every major public health challenge eventually reaches a point when evidence becomes difficult to ignore. Pennsylvania may now be at that point with gambling.A newly released landmark report, “Sports Betting and Related Interactive Gambling in Pennsylvania,” commissioned through House Resolution 60, represents one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of gambling-related harm in the state

A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump allegedly used his inside knowledge to illicitly profit more than $100,000 gambling on what Trump would say.According to ABC News, Gabriel Perez allegedly used the prediction market Kalshi to place bets on numerous public speeches by Trump.So-called “mention markets” feature gambling on what public figures will say in public appearances. They are