BOSTON, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At an all-day conference last Friday on the public health impacts of online sports gambling, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) vowed to advance minimum federal standards to curb predatory practices in the online sports betting industry and safeguard consumers, particularly young people.

Friday's conference, "The International Symposium on Online Gambling and Public Health," hosted by the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, offered key solutions to the unprecedented rise in online gambling. The conference specifically addressed the gambling industry's scientifically flawed, ethically compromised, and objectively failed "responsible gaming" model.

Blumenthal and Tonko are both co-sponsors of the SAFE Bet Act, which establishes federal standards while preserving the ability for those who choose to participate in legal sports betting.

In their remarks, Blumenthal and Tonko warned that online betting has become a public health crisis fueled by aggressive marketing, AI technology, and the targeting of vulnerable consumers.

"We are facing a perfect storm of addiction fueled by technology designed to target consumers in real time, especially young people," Blumenthal said. "Fighting this industry is an uphill battle. We need better laws, stronger enforcement, and continued public advocacy, but I believe we will prevail."

"It is impossible to ignore the similarities between Big Tobacco and the online sports betting industry," Tonko said. "Through aggressive marketing, celebrity endorsements, and constant access, the industry knows exactly who it is targeting. Without strong federal standards, this industry will continue to chase profits at the public's expense."

They joined Australia's Dr. Charles Livingstone and Massachusetts State Senator John Keenan as keynote speakers at Friday's event.

Symposium speakers also included some of the leading voices worldwide in the fight against online gambling addiction, such as Dr. Matt Gaskell, MBE, a world-renowned psychologist and recognized leader in the prevention and treatment of gambling disorder, and Dr. Darragh McGee of the University of Bath, one of the world's preeminent experts on the public health impacts of online sports gambling among youth in the U.K. and other regions.

Other speakers at the event included:

• Dr. Deborah Haskins, President Emerita, Maryland Council on Problem Gambling, Gambling Disorders Leader, Johns Hopkins University;
• Professor Natasha Dow Schüll, Associate Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University, and author of Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas (Princeton University Press, 2012);
• Assemblyman Dan Hutchison (D-NJ);
• Professor Richard Daynard, Founder of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law;
• Professor Mark Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law; and
• Dr. Harry Levant, Director of Gambling Policy, Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law.

Friday's symposium was a continuation of PHAI's leadership at the forefront of legal and policy efforts to address harmful gambling practices.

About the Public Health Advocacy Institute

Founded in 1979, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) is a nonprofit legal research center focused on public health law located at Northeastern University School of Law. In 2014, PHAI formed the Center for Public Health Litigation, a nonprofit law firm that uses the civil justice system to improve public health by using litigation targeting tobacco industry products, unhealthy foods, deceptive health marketing, and deceptive gambling practices as part of a public health strategy.

In March, PHAI filed a groundbreaking sports gambling lawsuit against DraftKings, FanDuel, Genius Sports, and the National Football League (NFL), claiming the companies created, distributed, and profited from live betting, an inherently dangerous product that encourages betting behaviors resulting in addiction.

In December 2023, PHAI and its Center for Public Health Litigation filed a class action suit against DraftKings in Massachusetts that garnered nationwide headlines. In February, a Massachusetts judge rejected most of DraftKings' Motion for Summary Judgment (MSJ) in the case, which will allow the case to proceed toward class certification, class-wide discovery and trial.

To learn more about PHAI, visit phai.org.

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SOURCE Public Health Advocacy Institute