The SAFE Bet Act was proposed by Congressmen Paul Tonko of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. It is aimed at creating federal standards in the use of AI, marketing, and affordability across US sports betting. Tonko’s office, as per iGamingBusiness, has sent letters to various leagues: the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, WNBA, MLS and NWSL.
Tonko was direct, telling those leagues that the choice before them was “now explicit”. They would either engage directly with Congress to restore integrity and protect bettors or accept responsibility in the case of future scandals. 2025 was not a good year for sports betting scandals: a string of integrity investigations, suspicious betting patterns, and mounting concerns over athlete harassment pushed the issue to national headlines.
In the NCAA, Will Richardson was recently ruled ineligible due to violations in sports betting. He, along with another former Fordham player, agreed to lose a 2024 game in exchange for $10,000-$15,000 payments. This is one of several high-profile incidents that has made the matter feel more urgent to policymakers and regulators.
Health and responsible gambling
Critics of the current gambling legislation, or lack thereof, argue that bettors’ financial and mental health is at risk. The Hill’s Lyndon Haviland wrote in April that many sports lovers would suffer from the excitement of the college basketball championship, the Masters, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the offers and the temptation to bet that came with them.
As Haviland pointed out, there is no federal age minimum for sports betting – it is currently up to each state. Over 20% of Americans, and almost half of men between 18 and 49 years old, have one or more betting accounts. There is concern among health organizations about the impacts of betting: gambling addiction can cause depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. It can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and feelings of shame.
Responsible gambling tools, which often include self-exclusion options and deposit limits, are available at certain online casinos. Anyone considering betting would be wise to read review sites such as Casino Guru when choosing an online casino, as the most trustworthy platforms are highlighted. Any bettor should make sure they are using a licensed and regulated casino.
As reported by Deadspin, New York is conducting a 10-year research project to learn about gambling behavior. The state has the USA’s biggest online sports betting market, and residents will be invited to participate in interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The research aims to identify patterns linked to harm and measure the breadth of problem gambling, as well as understand how well people understand the risks of sports betting.
In recent New York legislative sessions, Senator Joe Addabbo Jr. and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, along with other policymakers, backed proposals focusing on consumer safeguards, trying to improve safety for both online casinos and sportsbooks. New initiatives include requirements for sportsbooks to streamline self-exclusion policies. The goal, according to Deadspin, is to balance the revenue from sports betting with protections for everyone involved. The research will look at how aware users are of responsible gaming tools and potentially find ways to better integrate them into online platforms.
What is the SAFE Bet Act?
The SAFE Bet Act was described in the proposal as the “first comprehensive legislation” to address public health implications of legal sports betting. It would require states where sports betting is legal to meet federal standards to create a “safer, less addictive product”. It would still allow people to bet if they choose to do so.
The Act introduces many standards. As per Section 103 under ‘Advertising’, sports betting platforms would be prohibited from advertising between 8am and 10pm. Certain phrases, such as “bonus” and “bonus bets”, would be banned.
Under ‘Affordability’, operators would be required to check the National Clearinghouse for self-excluded bettors before allowing them to wager.
In its AI section, the Act proposes that platforms would not be allowed to use AI to track players’ gambling habits.
The current state of the Act
The Act stalled in the U.S. House, and right now, its future is not clear. The legislation would have meant that the federal government studied the health impact of sports betting. It would also have required operators to conduct “affordability checks” on those placing high-value bets. (A full list of the requirements can be found on the Tonko.house.gov website or by searching for “SAFE Bet Act Tonko”.)
The Hill suggested that lessons could be learned from the tobacco industry, which used “clever marketing” to entice more people into smoking. The Act was discussed by scholars, public health professionals, and policymakers in Boston in late April. Harry Levant, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) director of gambling policy, said that gambling addiction was a problem of “the product, not the people” and that the harm happening to people of all ages is out of control. He said the root of the problem was the unregulated market and there was a simple choice: to maintain the current situation or vow to change things. Mark Gottlieb, executive director of PHAI, per The Guardian, said that gambling should be regulated like other potentially addictive products.
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