GAME Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
Introduced
Summary
Bans targeted sports gambling ads to minors on large ad-funded digital platforms. This bill would make it illegal for major social media sites, search engines, and ad networks to display targeted advertisements that promote sports betting to anyone under 18.
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- Families and children: Minors under 18 would be shielded from targeted sports betting ads, reducing direct marketing exposure.
- Covered platforms: Platforms that earn ad revenue and meet functions like social forums, search, or cross-site ad networks and that have more than 100 million monthly users would be subject to the ban.
- Data and advertisers: Targeting that relies on personal information such as precise geolocation, persistent device identifiers, age, photos, or other listed minor data would be barred for sports gambling promotion to minors.
- Enforcement: The Federal Trade Commission would pursue civil actions as unfair or deceptive acts and, after three civil findings or settlements, must refer matters to the Attorney General. Criminal penalties could reach $100,000 for each targeted ad after referral.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Ban targeted sports gambling ads to kids
If enacted, this bill would make it unlawful for covered digital advertising platforms to display targeted advertisements directed to minors that promote sports gambling platforms. The ban would begin one year after enactment. A covered platform must get ad revenue, meet listed functions (for example social media or search), and have more than 100,000,000 unique monthly users. Covered platforms and advertisers would face enforcement under the Federal Trade Commission framework.
Which platforms and ads are covered
If enacted, the bill would define which websites and ads the ban covers. A covered digital advertising platform must (A) derive revenue from advertising, (B) be a social media site, a search engine, or a cross-platform ad seller, and (C) have more than 100,000,000 unique monthly users. A "targeted advertisement directed to a minor" would mean an ad linked to a minor by personal information, profiling, or a unique device identifier. The bill would exclude direct responses to a user's request, purely contextual ads, and processing done only to measure ad performance. It also defines "minor" as under 18 and limits precise geolocation rules with a 48-hour deletion carve-out for coarse-location generation.
FTC enforcement and criminal fines for platforms
If enacted, the bill would let the Federal Trade Commission treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts and make rules to enforce the ban. If the Commission finds three or more civil violations or there are three or more settlements, it must refer the platform to the Attorney General. After referral, the Attorney General could prosecute and seek criminal fines of up to $100,000 for each targeted advertisement directed to a minor shown in the referred and later instances. An "instance" means a civil enforcement action for displaying one or more such targeted ads.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
AL • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 6/9/2026
Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/24/2026
Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
NE • R
Sponsored 7/14/2026
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 7/14/2026
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]
CO • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov