If you follow sports, you’ve probably noticed ads for betting-style apps popping everywhere on TV, YouTube, across social media, and, of course, inside stadiums.
Two California lawmakers are determined to put an end to the ongoing exposure, which they claim is reaching the wrong audience.
“It’s Dressed Up to Look Like Skill”
During a press conference, Assemblymember Mia Bonta argued the issue hits close to home, describing how easily young people are coming across this kind of content.
“My son doesn’t have to go looking for this predictive, predictive gambling content. It finds him, it finds his friends,” she said. “It’s dressed up to look like skill, like sports knowledge, like a fun way to earn a little money, not like gambling.”
Her husband fully agrees. Last July, California Attorney General Rob Bonta threatened to take legal action against sweepstakes, prediction markets, and online fantasy sports sites.
Now, Mia Bonta, along with Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, has introduced a bill that would block fantasy sports and prediction market platforms from targeting minors with ads or allowing them to use their services.
“Grooming Our Kids to Be Gamblers for Life”
The move comes as apps like DraftKings, FanDuel, and PrizePicks keep expanding by the month, while newer platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi are attracting users by offering bets on everything from sports results to political outcomes.
“You can call it whatever you want, but when people are risking real money on outcomes of events, that’s gambling,” Schiavo said. “These multi-billion dollar corporations are, in fact, grooming our kids to be gamblers for life.”
Supporters of the bill point to data suggesting the trend is already taking hold. A 2025 survey by Common Sense Media found that 12% of boys aged 11 to 17 reported participating in sports-related gambling. Others said they had engaged in gambling-like activities inside online games.
Companies usually ask new users to confirm their age, and some use identity verification tools. However, lawmakers argue that those safeguards are simply not enough, since many minors find clever ways around them.
Those who back the new Bonta-Schiavo bill expect a hard fight ahead, as industry players are likely to push back hard, especially given the market’s size and growth.