Prediction markets and online sportsbooks would be required to use facial recognition technology to verify a user’s age before they can place a bet or trade
Congressman Josh Gottheimer has introduced legislation that would require facial recognition age verification for all online sportsbooks and prediction markets in the United States.
The bipartisan bill, the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act, requires prediction markets and online sportsbooks to use facial recognition technology to verify a user’s age before they can place a bet or trade.
With support from Kalshi and ParentsRISE, Gottheimer has called on every single sportsbook and prediction market in the country to commit to the legislation.
“We’re asking our kids to self-police their way past a system built entirely on the honor code,” said Congressman Gottheimer (NJ-5). “A kid can log into a parent’s, an older sibling’s, or a friend’s account and place a bet with no verification at all. Nobody checks. That’s it. That’s the whole system. We wouldn’t accept that at a casino in Las Vegas. We shouldn’t accept it on the phone in our kid’s back pocket.”
The bill is also originally cosponsored by Representatives Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-8), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Darren Soto (FL-9), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Bruce Westerman (AR-4).
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour commented: “Protecting kids should be a no brainer and is a top priority at Kalshi. Beyond what’s required of us, we already self-regulate and have a suite of measures in place to keep minors off our platform. But this can’t just be one company’s responsibility – it has to be an industry standard. I am grateful to Congressman Gottheimer and Congressman Van Drew for driving it forward.”
ParentsRISE, a national, survivor-parent-led movement turning grief into power and loss into action, said: “We’re grateful to see action taken to address the harms of predatory betting apps and prediction markets to children. Meta has already struck a partnership integrating Kalshi’s real-money betting markets into Threads. We are glad these members see the threat of this next wave of products engineered for compulsive use.”
Congressman Van Drew added: “Prediction markets are becoming more popular, and we need to be realistic about the risks that can come with that for our children. Kids should not be able to get onto these platforms and start placing bets. This bill puts another protection in place to help stop that from happening and gives parents some added peace of mind.”
The bill builds on Gottheimer’s broader record on kids’ online safety, including the Parents Decide Act, introduced with Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), which requires device makers to verify age when a phone or tablet is set up.
Gottheimer has also cosponsored Sammy’s Law, the Protecting Young Minds Online Act, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Kids Online Safety Act, and is a member of the Children’s Safety Caucus.