SAFE Bet Act: Inside The Federal Sports Betting Bill (2025)

A growing sports betting addiction crisis in the U.S. has led to a proposal for federal guardrails called the SAFE Bet Act.

In September 2024, the landmark SAFE Bet Act (HR 9590) was introduced into Congress. 

It was the first comprehensive legislation that would address the public health threats created by the widespread state-by-state legalization of sports betting. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2018 struck down a 1992 federal prohibition on sports betting.

The bill would require states that offer sports betting to meet “minimum federal standards” in advertising, affordability and artificial intelligence, among other provisions.

A year later, in September 2025, the bill had not advanced in Congress. Still, one of its sponsors, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), was still making public appearances in support of the proposal. In late 2025, Tonko told Spectrum News that the bill is needed more than ever.

Why the SAFE Bet Act is Needed

Sports betting addiction statistics show that 40-50% of online bettors experience gambling problems. It’s even worse for NFL betting, with as many as two-thirds of NFL bettors experiencing problems.

About 20% of American adults have an online sports betting account, according to a 2024 St. Bonaventure/Siena Research survey. That equates to around 51 million online sports bettors.

So, as many as 20 million Americans are experiencing problems related to sports betting.

The severity of addiction can vary. A life-threatening gambling addiction can take years to develop. Studies show that 40% of people with a problem gambling consider suicide.

The vast majority of sports betting industry revenue comes from people experiencing problems.

Let’s dive into what’s in the SAFE Bet Act.

SAFE Bet Act’s Federal Standards

Essentially, the federal government would have decision-making power over whether a state can sanction online sports betting apps.

The SAFE Bet would:

• Establishes a prohibition but creates an exception for states with an approved application from the Department of Justice to operate a sports betting program.
• Establishes penalties for non-compliance.
• States with existing sports betting industries will have one year to comply.
• States must submit a sports betting application to the Attorney General, with applications including detailed attestations that show how the state has met the federal standards.
• Each application approval is valid for three years and can be renewed.
• Requires that states offering a sports betting program meet minimum federal standards concerning advertising, affordability and artificial intelligence

Over 30 states have sanctioned online sports betting, with a handful of other jurisdictions allowing only in-person bets. Notably, California, Texas, and Georgia hadn’t sanctioned sports betting at the time of the SAFE Bet Act’s introduction.

Some online sports betting states also allow dangerous online casino gambling. The SAFE Bet Act only covers sports betting, not online casino gambling.

Sports Betting Advertising

“With advertising, where we put major emphasis, there is a reason you don’t have smoking commercials and you don’t see people drinking in alcohol commercials,” Rep. Tonko said. “Why are we leaving this addiction all alone out there?”

Sports fans have become inundated with betting advertisements on social media, TV, print and radio since 2018, fueling an addiction crisis.

Celebrities like LeBron James and Derek Jeter have endorsed gambling apps, which lure young people to sports betting. 

The SAFE Bet Act would:

• Prohibit sports betting broadcast advertising between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time
• Ban sports betting advertising during live sporting events
• Prohibit sports betting advertisements designed to induce gambling with “bonus,” “no sweat,” “bonus bets,” “odds boosts,” or similar promotions like DraftKings Ghost Legs
• Prohibit sports betting advertising designed to induce use of gambling products showing the audience how to gamble or explaining how wagers work
• Ban reckless or purposeful targeting of problem gamblers, individuals suffering from gambling disorder, or individuals ineligible to place a bet, including those under 21.

The SAFE Bet Act seeks to curb the sports gambling industry in parallel to a class-action lawsuit against DraftKings over an allegedly misleading and reckless advertisement.

Sports Betting Affordability

Studies have shown that residents of sports betting states have worse overall financial health, including a greater likelihood of bankruptcy and lower credit scores. 

The SAFE Bet Act would:

• Ban sportsbooks from accepting over 5 deposits from a user in a 24-hour period
• Prohibit operators from accepting deposits via credit card
• Require operators to conduct affordability checks on customers before accepting wagers in excess of $1,000 in a 24-hour period or $10,000 in a 30-day period and verify that proposed deposits do not exceed more than 30% of the individual’s monthly income through the application of a reasonable lender standard
• Require operators to check a national self-exclusion list before allowing bets

Five deposits in a 24-hour period into a single sportsbook is an especially modest proposal, considering that most online sports betting states license many separate gambling apps.

Some sportsbooks allow customers to set their deposit limits, but that places the onus on the player and not the sports betting app. The proposed legislation would change that.

Related:

World Health Organization Calls Out ‘Responsible Gambling’

DraftKings Fined $450k For Illegal Credit Card Deposits

Sports Betting AI

There’s widespread anxiety about artificial intelligence across various industries, especially with gambling. Sports betting-related AI legislation popped up in numerous states in 2025.

Online sportsbooks are proficient at siphoning money from players without AI or with relatively limited/primitive use of the evolving technology. Betting app algorithms (akin to AI) already do an extraordinary job of harming sports fans. So while AI can boost the addictiveness of the products, it isn’t necessarily a boogeyman.

Still, AI systems can fuel problem gambling, and the SAFE Bet Act would seek to prevent AI use for betting from getting out of control.

The proposed legislation would:

• Prohibit the use of AI to track individual player’s gambling habits
• Prohibit the use of AI to create individualized offers and promotions to customers
• Prohibit using AI to create gambling products, like micro-bets

It appears the details of how to ban the industry’s use of AI would be left to the states.

Micro-betting, such as betting on a single pitch of a baseball game, could require AI to fully automate betting odds and lines with accuracy (and greater profitability for the betting app), allowing for faster gambling with less friction.

Gambling on the first pitch of a baseball inning led to investigations into two players on the Cleveland Guardians. The team quickly distanced itself from a betting marketing partnership.

To bolster its machine-learning capabilities in 2024 and beyond, DraftKings acquired SimpleBet, a micro-market pricing company, for up to $195 million.

Broadly, the SAFE Bet Act could establish much-needed oversight over micro-betting. In Michigan, for example, a firm providing data for micro-betting illegally operated without a state license.

Related: The Creepy New AI Reason To Avoid Casinos

In-Game Betting

Related to creating guardrails for in-game gambling advertising and in-game microbetting via machine learning, the SAFE Bet Act would ban in-game bets.

The bill states that it would prohibit “a state sports betting regulatory from approving, or a sports wagering operator from accepting” a bet on any sporting event that has “commenced.”

This federal guardrail would help consumers because in-game betting is highly addictive and promotes rapid wagering. Furthermore, the sportsbook has an extraordinary advantage with information when setting the odds for these bets.

Short time delays in sports broadcasts also often give sportsbooks a bigger advantage.

Prop Bets

Most online sports betting states allow prop bets on college teams and athletes, which has created abuse and even threats toward student-athletes.

The NCAA has pushed for a complete prohibition on college props, with the betting industry fiercely opposing this proposal. However, in May 2025, the NCAA brokered a data-sharing partnership with the sports betting industry.

In exchange for its official data to facilitate sports gambling, the NCAA received assurances that sportsbooks would stop taking what the NCAA considers the riskiest of props.

There is support at the state level for banning all props. In July 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for outlawing all props, professional and collegiate.

The SAFE Bet Act would prohibit prop bets featuring college and amateur athletes, but not pros.

National Sports Gambling Self-Exclusion

There is a patchwork of state self-exclusion lists for online sports betting. Often, states have separate lists for online betting and entering a brick-and-mortar casino.

Most troubling is that a person struggling with online sports gambling addiction can simply visit a neighboring state to bet again after registering for a self-exclusion list in their home state.

The SAFE Bet Act would authorize a National Self-Exclusion List at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 

No timeline for implementing the list was mentioned.

SAMHSA would maintain and administer the list based on data from each state’s sports gambling regulator.

There have been many instances of state-licensed online sportsbooks taking bets from people on a sports betting self-exclusion list in violation of state law and regulations.

The fines for these violations have often been mere wrist slaps. The SAFE Bet Act appears to leave enforcement of not taking bets from self-excluded players to the states.

Signing up for a self-exclusion list typically also prohibits a sportsbook from sending you direct marketing materials. Many online sportsbooks have also violated this rule.

Studying Sports Betting

Since 2018, advocacy groups, nonprofits, colleges and universities and others have published seemingly countless studies about the harmful impacts of sports betting.

Under the SAFE Bet Act, federal agencies would be tasked with investigating the harms caused by the widespread state sanctioning of online sports gambling. 

The SAFE Bet Act would:

• Requires a report from the U.S. Surgeon General on the public health impacts of the widespread legalization and promotion of sports betting, focusing on youth.
• Requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in coordination with other appropriate agencies, to enhance and expand infrastructure to track gambling addiction.
• Authorizes SAMHSA to conduct a national survey on use rates and outcomes of betting.

Gambling Industry Response to the SAFE Bet Act

The American Gaming Association (AGA), the casino industry lobbying group, responded harshly to the legislation’s introduction. The group issued a statement on Sept. 12, 2024.

“Today’s regulated sports wagering operators are contributing billions in state taxes across the U.S., protecting consumers from dangerous neighborhood bookies and illegal offshore websites, and working diligently with over 5,000 state and tribal regulators and other stakeholders to ensure a commitment to responsibility and positive play.”

Six years into legal sports betting, introducing heavy-handed federal prohibitions is a slap in the face to state legislatures and gaming regulators who have dedicated countless time and resources to developing thoughtful frameworks unique to their jurisdictions, and have continued to iterate as their marketplaces evolve.”

It’s misleading to say that states developed sports betting laws and regulations unique to their jurisdictions, as many states imitated frameworks from states that had already legalized.

It’s also misleading to claim that the regulated sports betting industry has committed to “responsibility.” A mounting betting addiction crisis plagues the U.S.

The casino lobby’s offshore threat argument is undermined by widespread criticism of its offshore gambling market estimate.

SAFE Bet Act FAQ

What Does the SAFE Bet Act Mean?

The legislation’s name is an acronym for the “Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act of 2024.” It would establish guardrails for the online sports betting industry.

Can a State Adopt Stronger Sports Betting Regulations?

Yes, states and tribal governments are not preempted from enacting stronger standards regarding sports betting. For example, some state policymakers have considered banning betting app push notifications. The SAFE Bet Act doesn’t address those dark nudges.

Does the Legislation Create a National Legal Betting Age?

The SAFE Bet Act does not create a nationwide legal age for traditional sports gambling.

The legal gambling age in most states is 21, but some online sports betting states recklessly permit wagering at 18. Many tribal casinos with sportsbooks also allow betting at 18 or 19. 

The SAFE Bet Act doesn’t address DFS (daily fantasy sports) gambling, where the legal age is widely 18. In 2025, California’s attorney general called DFS illegal sports betting.

As of late 2025, the largest DFS operator in the U.S. was PrizePicks.

Who is Sponsoring the SAFE Bet Act?

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) authored the legislation. Both policymakers come from states with widespread online sports gambling addiction.

In Blumenthal’s state, a study found that problem gamblers generate most industry revenue.

Does the SAFE Bet Act Address Player Limiting?

No, the legislation doesn’t address sportsbooks banning players who win bets.

Does the legislation mention parlays?

No, the SAFE Bet Act would not prohibit the offering of parlay bets.

These wagers are bad for consumers because sportsbooks have their highest hold percentage on parlays. These bets are especially harmful for many people because of the near-miss effect.

In August 2025, FanDuel Sportsbook said it set a new record hold thanks to its parlays.

Does the federal bill ban sports betting?

No, the SAFE Bet act would not ban sports betting in the U.S.

On the contrary, it would establish federal regulation of the activity. It would give online sports betting a stamp of federal approval.

Unlike a country such as India, which banned online sports gambling in 2025, the U.S. would embrace the industry (albeit with some caveats).

Will the SAFE Bet Act pass?

It’s unclear if the legislation, which mirrors some of the provisions in Ireland’s gambling harm law and a sports betting advertising framework in Canada, will pass and be signed into law, especially as a stand-alone measure. 

Industry opposition to the legislation is fierce.

If passed, it would likely be included in a larger piece of legislation. The SAFE Bet Act could also be amended as it works through the legislative process.

It will be a long process to put into law any of the SAFE Bet Act’s provisions.