SAFE Bet Act Resurfaces with a March Madness Push
On March 11, 2025, Representative Paul Tonko and Senator Richard Blumenthal relaunched their fight for federal sports betting rules, reintroducing the SAFE Bet Act in a Washington, D.C., press conference. The Supporting Affordability & Fairness with Every Bet Act, first floated in September 2024 but stalled, got a fresh shove just before NCAA’s March Madness kicks off.
What’s Cooking in the Bill
The SAFE Bet Act wants to slap uniform standards on America’s sports betting boom. Tonko and Blumenthal are sounding the alarm over a 25% spike in losses, $14 billion down the drain in 2024, claiming it’s mostly from a small crew of struggling gamblers.
Their proposed fix is a federal playbook with some tight rules: ad limits banning “bonus” or “risk-free” lingo and restricting TV spots to after 10 p.m., plus a full stop on college prop bets and live wagering. AI’s in the crosshairs too, no more tracking players or crafting custom offers.
Beyond that, it’s about player shields. The bill pitches affordability checks for big bettors, a nationwide self-exclusion list, and a credit card ban for deposits. States would need the Attorney General’s nod to keep their betting markets, tying it all to a beefed-up crackdown on shady operators, a twist added since last fall.
Why They’re at It Again
Timing’s everything. March Madness looms, and with it, a flood of bets, legal and not. Tonko and Blumenthal see a “predatory” industry running wild, with Blumenthal dubbing it “the science of exploitation.”
They’re leaning on that $14 billion loss stat to argue for guardrails, pointing to a patchwork of state rules that they say isn’t cutting it. The new illegal gambling angle nods to state regulators already battling offshore books, but they want federal muscle to seal the deal.
The duo’s not out to kill betting but to tame it. They’re drawing lines to tobacco and booze, pushing for a public health lens over profit-chasing. Research from outfits like the Surgeon General and CDC would dig into gambling’s toll, backing their case.
Industry Pushback
The American Gaming Association’s not thrilled. They’re calling it a federal overreach, stomping on state rights and risking a slide back to black-market betting.
Operators argue they’re already taxed and tracked, billions flow to states, and players ditch sketchy bookies for legit apps. The SAFE Bet Act’s broad strokes, they say, could spook bettors off regulated platforms entirely. Plus, with no formal filing yet as of March 11, the bill’s still a moving target.
This reintroduction’s a louder shout than last year’s whimper, but the road’s rocky. Industry clout and state-level wins, like tax hauls and player protections, make it a tough sell.
The March Madness spotlight might juice its buzz, yet Congress hasn’t exactly raced to federalize betting since PASPA fell in 2018.
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