Sponsors
The bill increases federal support for gambling prevention, treatment, research, and oversight—improving services and knowledge—but it creates ongoing federal costs and variable state funding that could complicate budgets and shift resources away from other behavioral-health priorities.
People with gambling problems would gain expanded access to state-funded prevention and treatment services via new SAMHSA grant funding (including redistributed funds from nonapplying States), increasing availability of care.
Researchers would receive new federal research funding to study gambling addiction, improving knowledge of effective treatments and informing future care.
HHS must report on program effectiveness within three years, increasing congressional oversight and transparency about how funds are used and whether programs work.
Taxpayers would bear ongoing federal costs because funding is tied to a share of prior-year excise tax receipts for FY2025–FY2034.
States could face unpredictable grant funding levels because awards fluctuate with prior-year excise tax receipts, complicating budgeting for prevention and treatment programs.
If available federal funds are limited, states may have to redirect shares from other behavioral health priorities to gambling programs, potentially reducing services for other mental-health and substance-use needs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates federal grants for state gambling addiction treatment and research, funds FY2025–FY2034 tied to set shares of prior-year Treasury estimates under 26 U.S.C. §4401, and requires a 3-year HHS report.
Introduced February 7, 2025 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress February 7, 2025
Creates federal grant programs to help states treat and study gambling addiction. SAMHSA would award grants to states using the same allocation ratios as existing SAMHSA block grants, with unused state shares reallocated to applying states. NIDA would fund research grants. The law authorizes funding for FY2025–FY2034 tied to specified shares of the prior year amount the Treasury reports was received under 26 U.S.C. §4401, and requires an HHS report to Congress on program effectiveness within three years.