Press ReleaseUrgent2026-05-20

VIDEO: Blackburn Leads Hearing on Protecting Sports Integrity in America

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This press release from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was published on 2026-05-20 and titled "VIDEO: Blackburn Leads Hearing on Protecting Sports Integrity in America".

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VIDEO: Blackburn Leads Hearing on Protecting Sports Integrity in America

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, led a hearing examining the rapid expansion of sports betting in the United States, the industry's growing impact on the integrity of games, and the need to protect vulnerable young people from gambling addiction. Click here to watch the full hearing. Click here to download Senator Blackburn's opening statement . EXCERPTS OF OPENING STATEMENT AS PREPARED "From Saturdays in Neyland Stadium to nights at Bridgestone Arena watching the Predators, Tennesseans - and Americans broadly - love sports . Sports bring together families, they unite people, and they teach young Americans about teamwork, discipline, sacrifice, and fair play." "American sports are not just this nation's past time - they are a global symbol of competition watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world." "When Americans watch their favorite sports team, they don't want to worry about the game being rigged. They don't want to worry that their favorite player missed a free-throw to make an extra buck on the side." "Unfortunately, though, there have recently been high profile examples of match-fixing in the NBA and MLB, challenging Americans' trust in the integrity of sport." "This has all been inflamed by the rapid explosion of legal sports betting across the United States. What was once limited to a handful of locations is now available in almost every corner of the country - often right on a cellphone." "The introduction of sports event contracts on prediction markets has exposed more people to sports betting . While prediction markets represent financial innovation across sectors, there are real concerns that they function much like traditional sports betting without the enforcement of state regulators and attorneys general." "While sports betting is often a source of entertainment for responsible adults, it is not without its risks. Like I mentioned, we have seen scandals involving professional athletes, referees, and suspicious betting activity. College athletes are reporting harassment and threats from angry bettors. And Americans - including young people - are being inundated with advertisements on social media." "Our young men are in crisis - with over a third of boys between the ages of 11 and 17 admitting to gambling in the last year. Sixty percent of those who have seen gambling content online said they had it surfaced through social media algorithms. This isn't safe, and it needs to stop."

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VIDEO: Blackburn Leads Hearing on Protecting Sports Integrity in America WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, led a hearing examining the rapid expansion of sports betting in the United States, the industry's growing impact on the integrity of games, and the need to protect vulnerable young people from gambling addiction. Click here to watch the full hearing. Click here to download Senator Blackburn's opening statement . EXCERPTS OF OPENING STATEMENT AS PREPARED "From Saturdays in Neyland Stadium to nights at Bridgestone Arena watching the Predators, Tennesseans - and Americans broadly - love sports . Sports bring together families, they unite people, and they teach young Americans about teamwork, discipline, sacrifice, and fair play." "American sports are not just this nation's past time - they are a global symbol of competition watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world." "When Americans watch their favorite sports team, they don't want to worry about the game being rigged. They don't want to worry that their favorite player missed a free-throw to make an extra buck on the side." "Unfortunately, though, there have recently been high profile examples of match-fixing in the NBA and MLB, challenging Americans' trust in the integrity of sport." "This has all been inflamed by the rapid explosion of legal sports betting across the United States. What was once limited to a handful of locations is now available in almost every corner of the country - often right on a cellphone." "The introduction of sports event contracts on prediction markets has exposed more people to sports betting . While prediction markets represent financial innovation across sectors, there are real concerns that they function much like traditional sports betting without the enforcement of state regulators and attorneys general." "While sports betting is often a source of entertainment for responsible adults, it is not without its risks. Like I mentioned, we have seen scandals involving professional athletes, referees, and suspicious betting activity. College athletes are reporting harassment and threats from angry bettors. And Americans - including young people - are being inundated with advertisements on social media." "Our young men are in crisis - with over a third of boys between the ages of 11 and 17 admitting to gambling in the last year. Sixty percent of those who have seen gambling content online said they had it surfaced through social media algorithms. This isn't safe, and it needs to stop."