U.S. Senators Working to Protect Kids from Gambling Ads

Gambling,

The Wall Street Journal reports two U.S. Senators are working on a bipartisan effort to protect children from gambling ads.

Sports betting and other forms of gambling are now legal across most of the U.S., and more than half of men ages 18 – 49 report having an active sportsbook account online. Arkansans wagered a record $86.5 million in March alone this year. But evidence shows teens and young adults may be getting hooked on sports betting through predatory advertisements.

The proposed Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement (GAME) Act by U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R — Alabama) and Richard Blumenthal (D — Connecticut) would prohibit social media platforms and other websites from advertising sports betting to children and teens.

We have written in the past how some sportsbooks have actually produced ads that seem to promote compulsive gambling and other problem-gambling behavior.

For example, in 2024, FanDuel released one commercial that showed people so focused on sports betting that they ignored everyone else around them.

Another ad promoted taking advantage of every opportunity to gamble.

Last year, FanDuel aired commercials encouraging people to gamble on “surprising” hunches — including powerful hunches that strike between football plays.

More recent commercials advertise “playoff mode” with aggressive promotional offers like hundreds of dollars in “bonus bets.”

The ads may seem silly, but gamblers who ignore loved ones, wager nonstop, or place bets “on a hunch” quite possibly suffer from a gambling problem.

We have said before that placing reasonable restrictions on advertising is one thing Arkansas could do to address predatory gambling. It’s good to see congressional leaders taking this issue seriously as well.

Sports betting is corrupting sports and ruining lives. The NFL and sportsbooks have actually faced lawsuits over the harm from gambling addiction and in-game micro-bets.

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for policymakers to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Lawmakers Could Vote on EFA Homeschool Rules at June 15 Meeting

Home School,

The Arkansas Legislative Council’s Administrative Rules Subcommittee could vote on a proposed set of Educational Freedom Account (EFA) rules at its June 15 meeting at 1:30 P.M. in Little Rock.

Arkansans who want to make their voices heard on these rules should contact their lawmakers as soon as possible.

Arkansas created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of homeschool students have taken advantage of this great program.

But the Arkansas Department of Education has approved new administrative rules restricting how EFA funds can be spent on extracurricular activities, establishing complicated pre-approval and reimbursement requirements for EFA funds, and reducing the maximum balance families can carry in their EFA accounts.

Our team has put together a brief overview explaining some of the problems with the new rules. You can download it here.

We are urging everyone to talk to their lawmakers between now and June 15, and ask them to make sure the new EFA rules track with state law and are fair to homeschool families. 

Arkansans can look up contact information for their senator and representative using the Arkansas Senate and Arkansas House websites.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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