The United States Congress has taken a major step toward strengthening underage gambling protections with the introduction of the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act, a bipartisan bill that would require online sportsbooks and prediction market platforms to use facial recognition technology to verify users' age before allowing them to place bets or trade event contracts. The legislation was introduced on 15 July 2026 in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Josh Gottheimer (Democrat, New Jersey) with support from lawmakers from both major political parties.
The bill is co-sponsored by Democrats Jimmy Panetta, Darren Soto, Tom Suozzi, Ritchie Torres and Kristen McDonald Rivet, together with Republicans Jeff Van Drew, Nick LaLota and Bruce Westerman, highlighting broad bipartisan backing. The proposal has also received public support from Kalshi, whose Chief Executive Officer Tarek Mansour said preventing minors from accessing betting products should become an industry-wide standard, as well as from child protection advocacy group ParentsRISE.
Jimmy Panetta
If enacted, the legislation would require operators to perform facial age verification before a user can place a sports bet or open a position on a prediction market. According to its sponsors, the technology would estimate a person's age without storing biometric information or personal identity data, strengthening existing identity verification procedures. Gottheimer argues that current safeguards are insufficient because many underage users still gain access through accounts belonging to parents, siblings or other adults.
Jeff Van Drew
The proposal is supported by data from Common Sense Media, which found that 36% of children aged 11 to 17 placed a bet during the past year, with the figure rising to 40% among teenagers aged 14 to 17. More than one-quarter reported negative consequences, including stress, family conflict and school-related problems.
Lawmakers also cited enforcement cases in Iowa, where more than 80 reports of underage gambling were referred to the Division of Criminal Investigation, and Tennessee, where sportsbooks identified more than 400 underage betting accounts in 2024, compared with roughly 100 the previous year. With Americans wagering approximately US$160 billion annually on sports and the industry generating around US$16 billion in revenue, the bill could establish the first nationwide federal facial age verification standard for online sportsbooks and prediction markets.
