US Bipartisan Bill Mandates Facial Recognition Age Checks for Sportsbooks and Prediction Markets

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has introduced legislation that would require online sportsbooks and prediction markets to use facial recognition technology to estimate a user's age before allowing bets or trades. The Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act, led by Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), aims to close what sponsors describe as a loophole that lets minors bypass initial age verification by logging into an adult's account.

The bill would mandate that platforms analyze facial structure and patterns at login or immediately prior to a wager, without storing a user's identity or biometric data. Co-sponsors include Representatives Jeff Van Drew, Nick LaLota, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Jimmy Panetta, Darren Soto, Tom Suozzi, Ritchie Torres and Bruce Westerman. The legislation has the backing of prediction-market operator Kalshi and advocacy group ParentsRISE.

Context and supporting data

Gottheimer's office cited statistics to underscore the scope of underage gambling: according to Common Sense Media, 36% of boys aged 11 to 17 reported gambling in the past year, rising to 40% among those aged 14 to 17. Enforcement data from Tennessee showed that sportsbooks flagged more than 400 underage accounts in 2024, up from roughly 100 the previous year; Iowa authorities have received more than 80 reports of underage betting. Gottheimer noted that Americans wagered approximately $160 billion on sports last year, generating roughly $16 billion in industry revenue.

Currently, most regulated sportsbooks set a minimum age of 21, while prediction markets generally allow trading from age 18. The bill would impose a uniform federal standard on platforms that today rely primarily on one-time know-your-customer checks. "We're asking our kids to self-police their way past a system built entirely on the honor code," Gottheimer said. "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."

Industry response

Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said his company already uses measures to prevent minor access but supports making such protections an industry-wide requirement. "Protecting kids should be a no-brainer and is a top priority at Kalshi," Mansour stated. "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." Kalshi has also introduced additional child-safety measures, including making facial identification the default for users who have it enabled on their phones.

ParentsRISE praised the legislation as a step against "the harms of predatory betting apps and prediction markets to children." Representative Van Drew echoed the sentiment, saying, "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."

Broader regulatory landscape

The bill arrives amid heightened scrutiny of prediction markets. Separately, Google has announced it will ban browser extensions promoting real-money prediction markets from the Chrome Web Store starting August 1, affecting platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. The UK government has also opened a consultation on banning unlicensed gambling sponsorship in sport, signaling a wider global focus on gambling-related safeguards.