HouseH.R. 8970119th Congress
Gambling Disorder Health Study Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8970 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8970
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct
research to advance the understanding of gambling disorder, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2026
Mr. Goldman of New York (for himself and Mr. Moore of Utah) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct
research to advance the understanding of gambling disorder, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Gambling Disorder Health Study
Act''.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
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