Stop Predatory Gambling

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Stop Predatory Gambling

Stop Predatory Gambling believes people are worth more than money.

Our members work to reveal the truth behind commercialized gambling operators to prevent more victims. A 501c3 non-profit based in Washington, DC, we are a national advocacy network of individuals and partner groups with members in all 50 states. We are one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, one in which citizens of all political stripes work side-by-side to reveal the truth behind gambling operators to prevent more victims.

09/10/2025

The sports gambling industry is out of control, and Americans are finally demanding change. A new report shows how legal sports betting has fueled addiction, destroyed finances, and damaged the integrity of the games themselves. Millions are suffering from gambling-related harms, while sportsbooks and leagues profit. Research proves gambling addiction rises sharply after legalization, leading to debt, bankruptcy, depression, and even domestic violence. Lawmakers must take action before more lives are ruined.

Gamblers are ruining their lives, and Americans want action. What can we do?

09/08/2025

The Better Business Bureau is sounding the alarm on online gambling.

Complaints about online casinos and sportsbooks have more than doubled since 2023, with players reporting frozen accounts, withheld withdrawals, and deceptive promotions.

Even so-called “legal” platforms like DraftKings, BetMGM, and ESPN Bet all carry failing BBB ratings. Offshore sites and sweepstakes casinos are even worse, leaving people with little chance of getting their money back.

The Better Business Bureau reports that complaints about online gambling and sports betting have more than doubled since 2023.

09/04/2025

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has been called out in a state audit for failing to do its job when it comes to protecting people from gambling harm. Auditors found the commission allowed casinos and sportsbooks to run ads without responsible gambling warnings, failed to ensure staff were properly trained to help people struggling with addiction, and lacked accountability in oversight.

These failures mean casinos and sportsbooks boosted profits while the public was left more vulnerable to addiction and financial ruin. Regulators are supposed to protect people, not enable the industry’s predatory practices.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has been criticized in a state audit for not doing enough to promote responsible gaming.

09/02/2025

Robinhood is now moving deeper into the gambling world, disguising it as “prediction markets.” By offering NCAA and NFL event contracts regulated at the federal level, they bypass state gambling protections and turn betting into a financial product that looks like investing.

Robinhood Spearheading Intersection of Markets, Sports Betting.

08/29/2025

FanDuel is partnering with CME Group to push so-called “event contracts,” which are nothing more than gambling disguised as financial products. These contracts allow people to wager on everything from sports to the economy, introducing dangerous speculation into markets that affect all of us.

Critics warn that these products are just another way to normalize gambling, fueling addiction and creating financial instability. This is not “innovation.” It is predatory gambling creeping further into daily life and into the financial system.

Read more:

Sports betting firm FanDuel has tied up with derivatives exchange CME Group to set its foot into the rapidly growing event contracts market, the companies announced on Wednesday.

08/27/2025

DeKalb City Council has already taken a stand to protect young people by banning v**e vending machines. Now, advocates are calling on them to do the same with lottery vending machines.

The numbers are alarming. Only 10 percent of middle and high school students use ni****ne products, but 75 percent have already gambled. Lottery vending machines have no real age verification, giving kids easy access to gambling products designed to hook them early.

These machines exploit addiction, making it easier for minors and vulnerable adults to get trapped. If DeKalb wants to protect its community, banning lottery vending machines is the next step.

Community leaders urge DeKalb to ban lottery vending machines to protect minors.

08/25/2025

At Conestoga High School, a nationally recognized soccer coach was quietly suspended after betting with students on the performance of their classmates during basketball games.

When trusted adults introduce teenagers to gambling, they are normalizing addiction and putting young people at risk. Coaches and teachers should be protecting students, not exposing them to predatory habits.

Experts warn that gambling among teens can destroy their relationship with sports and set them on a dangerous path. Gambling is not harmless fun. It is addictive and destructive, and it has no place in schools or in the lives of young people.

Read more here:

Soccer coach David Zimmerman and students were placing "prop bets" on the performance of boys basketball players. The NCAA has sought a federal ban on that type of sports gambling.

08/23/2025

A Montreal woman just discovered her husband’s secret gambling addiction. The result: more than $1.1 million in debt, including back taxes, credit lines, and a drained bank account.

This is what predatory gambling does. It destroys trust in families, wrecks financial stability, and leaves loved ones blindsided. No amount of income can keep up with the losses from addiction. Families like Sarah’s pay the real price while gambling operators profit.

"He had like maybe $1,000 left in his bank account and everything was maxed, so he needed help."

08/22/2025

To understand why predatory gambling is America's most-neglected major problem and how it affects your life, watch this video of Stop Predatory Gambling's Les Bernal being interviewed by social media influencer Rob Minnick.

I spoke to Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling to talk about America’s most neglected major problem.🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNYAbo...

08/21/2025

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is sounding the alarm on sports gambling, and his words should not be ignored.

After seeing his own brother banned from the NBA for gambling violations, Porter made it clear that gambling threatens the integrity of the game itself. He explained how players could conspire with friends to profit by intentionally underperforming. This destroys trust, fairness, and everything sports are supposed to stand for.

Porter is right. The more sports gambling grows, the worse the problems will get. It exploits players, fans, and entire communities while fueling addiction and corruption. Professional athletes, college students, and everyday families are being put at risk so gambling operators can profit.

Sports should be about competition, teamwork, and integrity, not gambling. The spread of betting is poisoning the games we love.

Read more:

Brooklyn Nets forward voices concern over sports gambling: ‘It’s only gonna get worse’

08/19/2025

A new University of Mississippi study shows that thousands of Mississippi college students are gambling online, even though mobile sports betting is illegal in the state. Nearly 60 percent of students who gambled in the past year reported betting online, often using VPNs or other loopholes to access sportsbooks.

The study estimates that up to 6,400 Mississippi students are already facing serious gambling problems, with 20 to 30 percent of them at risk of developing gambling disorders.

The gambling industry knows young adults are vulnerable. They are targeting students and normalizing addiction to grow profits. Mississippi should not make this crisis worse by expanding online gambling.

Read more:
https://mississippitoday.org/2025/08/11/mississippi-college-students-sports-betting-online-study/

A potentially large number of students are finding ways to place bets on legitimate platforms, not just illicit betting sites, even though mobile sports betting remains illegal in Mississippi.

08/17/2025

There is no justification for gambling on children. Little League Baseball has denounced anyone betting on its World Series games, calling out the exploitation of kids for profit. Offshore sportsbooks are offering odds on competitions involving 10 to 12 year olds, turning childhood play into another gambling market.

Gambling companies will exploit anything, even children, to make money. This is not harmless entertainment. It is a dangerous industry that normalizes addiction and greed at the expense of families and communities.

Read more:

It’s an official statement to those breaking the law.

Address

60 Island Street, Suite 406
Lawrence, MA
01840

Telephone

+12025676996

Website

http://www.StopPredatoryGambling.org/

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Our Story

Improving the lives of the American people with compassion and fairness, using education and advocacy to free us of the lower standard of living, exploitation and fraud that commercialized gambling spreads.