The Public Health Advocacy Institute will hold what it calls the first international symposium focused on online gambling as a public health issue in the United States. This is in contrast to the industry’s “responsible gambling” framing.
The in-person event will be held at Northeastern University in Boston on Friday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are still available.
‘Known Addictive Product’
The event brings together leading experts to discuss “what effective regulation looks like, how harm can be reduced, and how policy can better reflect the risks associated with a known addictive product.”
The proposed SAFE Bet Act is one way to establish effective regulation, according to the PHAI.
Recent surveys show a record number of Americans are betting online and experiencing problems with their play. In 2025, Americans spent a record $27 billion on state-sanctioned online gambling. The growth of federally regulated prediction markets adds to the public health crisis.
The event will feature:
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
- Professor Richard A. Daynard
- Dr. Matt Gaskell, MBE
- Professor Mark A. Gottlieb
- Dr. Deborah Haskins
- State Sen. John Keenan (MA)
- Dr. Harry Levant
- Professor Charles Livingstone
- Professor Darragh McGee
- Professor Natasha Dow Schüll
- Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY)
Agenda
08:30 AM – 09:00 AM
Continental Breakfast
09:00 AM – 09:15 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Professors Richard Daynard and Mark Gottlieb
09:15 AM – 09:30 AM
Independent Gambling Research Funding in the United States
Asa Craig, Jonathan Cohen
09:30 AM – 10:00 AM
The Warning
Dr Matt Gaskell
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Keynote: From Responsible Gaming’s Failure to the Public Health Movement
Dr. Charles Livingstone
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Exposing The Truth – UK Perspective
Dr. Darragh McGee
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Break – Coffee/Tea
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Panel Discussion on Where We Are Now
Dr. Livingstone, Dr. Gaskell, Dr. McGee, Dr. Natasha Dow, Moderated by Dr. Harry Levant
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Lunch and Networking
12:45 PM – 01:15 PM
Public Health Policy in Action
Professor Mark Gottlieb
01:15 PM – 01:45 PM
The Need for Federal Safety Standards
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Paul Tonko
01:45 PM – 02:30 PM
Legislative Action Panel Discussion
MA Sen. Keenan, Sen. Blumenthal, Rep. Tonko, Others
02:30 PM
Exposing The Truth – United States Perspective
Dr. Harry Levant
03:00 PM – 03:15 PM
Break – Coffee/Tea
03:15 PM – 03:30 PM
Families and Friends of Gamblers
Mission and Board of Directors
03:30 PM – 04:00 PM
The Scope of Harm – From Families to Our Communities
Dr. Deborah Haskins
04:00 PM – 04:30 PM
Addiction by Design – Even More So
Dr. Natasha Dow Schüll
04:30 PM – 05:00 PM
Discussion and Closing
Dr. Matt Gaskell, Dr. Harry Levant
