H.R. 8970

[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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