Gambling Disorder Health Study Act
Officially: “Gambling Disorder Health Study Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would give the Act the short title "Gambling Disorder Health Study Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Gambling Disorder Health Study Act .
2Findings
This section would state Congress's findings on gambling disorder. It says gambling disorder was classified as a behavioral addiction in 2013 in the fifth edition, text revision 2022, of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association. It notes that although gambling disorder is grouped with substance-related and addictive disorders such as alcohol, tobacco, and drug addiction, no federal agency has been designated to fund and guide research, programs, or policies on gambling disorder at the national level, and that this lack of federal funding and guidance has caused a shortage of research and resources to address gambling disorder and gambling harm. It states that in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 584 U.S. 453 (2018), the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (Public Law 102-427), and that this overturning of the Act is what allowed states to legalize and regulate sports betting. It states that following that ruling, 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico legalized some form of sports betting, which made sports betting and other forms of gambling more accessible and popular and generated billions of dollars of revenue for the gambling industries.
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2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) gambling disorder was categorized as a behavioral addiction in 2013 in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev. 2022) published by the American Psychiatric Association; (2) although gambling disorder is categorized along with substance-related and addictive disorders that include alcohol, tobacco, and drug-related addictions, no Federal agency has been designated to fund and guide research, programs, or policies addressing gambling disorder in the United States on a national level; (3) this absence of Federal funding and guidance has resulted in a lack of research and resources available to address gambling disorder and gambling harm; (4) in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 584 U.S. 453 (2018), the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (Public Law 102–427), allowing States to legalize and regulate sports betting; and (5) following the Supreme Court’s ruling in that case, 38 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico legalized some form of sports betting, consequently making sports betting and other forms of gambling more accessible and popular and garnering billions of dollars of revenue for the gambling industries.
3Research on gambling disorder
This section would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a research program, conducted either directly or through agreements with other public or nonprofit private entities, to advance understanding of gambling disorder, including its origins, how it manifests, and its long-term effects. The research would have to include all of the following: identifying the earliest documented cases of gambling disorder and the developments that led to its categorization as a behavioral addiction in the DSM-5, text revision 2022; investigating the long-term psychological, social, economic, and behavioral effects of gambling disorder on affected individuals, communities, and public discourse; analyzing how mobile, online, and app-based gambling technologies affect the prevalence, development, and progression of gambling disorder; examining how related technology-based activities, including video games, social media, in-app purchases, and virtual reality platforms, affect the prevalence, development, and progression of gambling disorder; analyzing the factors that contribute to the development and spread of gambling disorder and the policy implications, including sports betting legalization, media exposure, political polarization, and social dynamics; exploring possible interventions, treatments, coping mechanisms, and strategies to reduce the harmful effects of gambling disorder, as applicable; analyzing the demographics of people who are susceptible to gambling harm or already diagnosed with gambling disorder, as well as the demographics of people who take part in each individual type of gambling; and comparing the regulatory and public health frameworks of other economically developed countries on gambling, including how effective their prevention policies and risk-reduction measures are for people showing signs of gambling disorder, and any cases where those countries modified or reversed policies that had made gambling more available, along with what resulted from those changes. The Secretary would have to carry out this research in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Comptroller General of the United States, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and in collaboration with the heads of other federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and relevant organizations. Not later than 2 years after the Act is enacted, and annually after that for as long as the program continues, the Secretary would have to submit a report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on the progress of the research. The report would have to include findings on the disorder's earliest emergence, demographic patterns, public health impact, and long-term effects and engagement with gambling types, and recommendations for further research, public health actions, treatments, preventive measures, and public policies relating to gambling disorder and reducing gambling harm. The section would define "gambling disorder" to have the meaning given in the DSM-5, text revision 2022, or any successor edition, which would include pathological gambling, gambling addiction, and compulsive gambling. It would define "gambling type" to include lotteries and scratch-offs, sports betting, prediction markets, casino games, horse racing, online gambling, social gaming with virtual currency, betting on esports, and other activities that involve risking money or other stakes in a game or bet, as determined by the Secretary. For each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029, the section would authorize appropriations equal to 10 percent of the amount the Secretary of the Treasury estimates was collected in taxes under section 4401(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the federal excise tax on wagers, during the preceding fiscal year, and any funds appropriated would remain available until expended.
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3. Research on gambling disorder (a) In general The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the Secretary ) shall carry out a program (in this section referred to as the program ) under which the Secretary shall conduct research, either directly or through agreements with other public or nonprofit private entities, to advance the understanding of gambling disorder, including its origins, manifestations, and long-term effects. (b) Research objectives The research to be conducted under subsection (a) shall include— (1) efforts to identify the initial emergence or earliest documented cases of gambling disorder and the developments leading to its categorization as a behavioral addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev. 2022); (2) investigation of the long-term psychological, social, economic, and behavioral impacts of gambling disorder on affected individuals, communities, and public discourse; (3) analysis of the effects of mobile, online, and app-based gambling technologies on the prevalence, development, and progression of gambling disorder; (4) examination of the implications of related technology mediated behavioral activities, including video games, social media, in-app purchases, and virtual reality platforms, on the prevalence, development, and progression of gambling disorder; (5) analysis of the contributing factors to, and the policy implications of, the development and spread of gambling disorder, including sports betting legalization, media exposure, political polarization, and social dynamics; (6) exploration of potential interventions, treatments, coping mechanisms, and strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of gambling disorder, as applicable; (7) analysis of the demographics of those individuals who are susceptible to gambling harm or already diagnosed with gambling disorder, as well as the demographics of individuals who partake in individual gambling types; and (8) comparative analysis of the regulatory and public health frameworks of other economically developed countries with respect to gambling, including the effectiveness of any prevention policy approaches and risk reduction measures for individuals exhibiting signs of gambling disorder, and the circumstances under which such countries have modified or reversed policies that had liberalized gambling and the outcomes of those actions. (c) Participation of Federal agencies and other entities The Secretary shall carry out subsection (a)— (1) in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, the Comptroller General of the United States, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; and (2) in collaboration with the heads of other Federal and State agencies, academic institutions, and relevant organizations. (d) Annual report to Congress Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the term of the program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the progress of research conducted under this section, including— (1) findings relating to the initial emergence, demographic analyses, public health impact, and long-term effects of gambling disorder and engagement with gambling types; and (2) recommendations for further research, public health actions, treatments, preventative measures, and public policies relating to gambling disorder and mitigating gambling harm. (e) Definitions In this section: (1) Gambling disorder The term gambling disorder has the meaning given such term in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev. 2022) (or a successor edition) and includes— (A) pathological gambling; (B) gambling addiction; and (C) compulsive gambling. (2) Gambling type The term gambling type includes— (A) lotteries and scratch-offs; (B) sports betting; (C) prediction markets; (D) casino games; (E) horse racing; (F) online gambling; (G) social gaming with virtual currency; (H) betting on esports; and (I) other activities that involve risking money or other stakes in a game or bet, as determined by the Secretary. (f) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029 the amount that is 10 percent of the amount estimated by the Secretary of the Treasury as being equal to the amount of taxes received under section 4401(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 during the preceding fiscal year. Such sums shall remain available until expended.
Where it is
In the House.