SB 4555, the GAME Act of 2026, would prohibit covered digital advertising platforms from displaying targeted advertisements directed to minors that promote sports gambling platforms. The ban would take effect one year after enactment and applies to ads or other marketing efforts that are targeted using a minor’s personal information, behavioral profiling, predicted preferences, or a device identifier. The bill also defines key terms broadly, including “covered digital advertising platform,” “minor,” “personal information,” “geolocation information,” and “sports gambling platform,” and it expressly includes services marketed as prediction markets if they allow wagering on sporting events.
The bill creates an enforcement framework centered on the Federal Trade Commission. A violation would be treated as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the FTC Act, giving the Commission authority to enforce the prohibition, issue rules, and use its existing remedies and procedures. If a platform is found in violation in three or more instances, the FTC must refer the matter to the Attorney General, and criminal fines of up to $100,000 per targeted ad could apply for the referred instance and later instances. The bill also carves out exceptions for ads shown in direct response to a user request, contextual ads based only on the content of the page or app, and certain measurement or reporting uses of personal information.
The bill would add a new federal restriction on digital advertising practices affecting minors and would expand FTC enforcement authority over targeted gambling-related ads on large online platforms, search engines, and ad networks. It would not directly amend state law, but it would preemptively shape nationwide advertising compliance standards for platforms with more than 100 million monthly users and could affect how social media companies, websites, mobile apps, and ad exchanges collect and use personal data for ad targeting. It also broadens the practical regulatory treatment of sports betting promotion by including prediction-market-style services within the definition of sports gambling platform.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a child-protection and consumer-privacy bill aimed at limiting youth exposure to gambling promotion online. The sponsorship by Senators Britt and Blumenthal suggests bipartisan interest in restricting targeted gambling ads to minors, and the bill’s structure reflects a strong regulatory approach. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes provided, there is no recorded opposition or support to assess beyond the bill’s protective policy orientation.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s broad definitions and enforcement severity. Digital advertising platforms may object to the scope of “covered digital advertising platform,” which reaches major social media sites, search engines, and ad networks, as well as the use of profiling and device identifiers to determine whether an ad is targeted to a minor. Gambling and prediction-market operators may also object to the inclusion of services marketed as allowing investment in prediction markets, since that could sweep in products that argue they are not traditional sportsbooks. Finally, the criminal referral and per-ad fine structure could be viewed as especially punitive, while supporters are likely to emphasize the need to protect minors from gambling marketing and data-driven targeting.