College sports betting was the focus on Capitol Hill this week. The U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled "The Rise of Sports Gambling on College Campuses," chaired by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), a former first-team All-American at Miami and first-round NFL draft pick. The hearing took place in the Rayburn House Office Building and was streamed on the subcommittee's YouTube channel.
Although it was billed as a hearing about students, much of the discussion turned to prediction markets. As InGame put it, prediction markets "once again complicate" a congressional hearing on gambling.
Who Testified
Four witnesses appeared, according to InGame:
- Cindy Clouner, managing director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery at The Ohio State University
- Dr. Daniel Durkin, associate professor at the University of Mississippi
- Jordan Maynard, chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission
- Dr. Lindsey Mortenson, chief mental health officer and executive director of University Health & Counseling at the University of Michigan
No commercial or tribal sports betting industry representatives testified, so the panel was weighted toward public health and regulation.
Key Testimony
"Frictionless" Betting
Durkin said college-aged people "sometimes use illegal sites without knowing it." He described modern sports betting as "frictionless": an app on a phone, instant deposits and constant in-game markets. That speed, he argued, is what makes it more dangerous.
Students and Disposable Income
Mortenson said that "college students spend their disposable income on a lot of things that as parents we wouldn't want." Witnesses described gambling addiction as "invisible": unlike alcohol or drug problems, there are few physical signs, which makes it hard to identify and treat.
Two Products, One Experience
Maynard, the only regulator on the panel, focused on prediction markets. He said, "we basically have two sets of products that look exactly the same to the end user." His commission gets calls from consumers about businesses it doesn't regulate and has no power over.
Witnesses agreed that bettors don't distinguish between licensed sportsbooks, prediction markets and black market sites. From a public health view, they said, the goal is to treat the addiction regardless of where it started.
The Prediction Market Problem
The age gap came up repeatedly. Most states set the legal sports betting age at 21, while prediction markets allow trading at 18, putting many college students within reach of a product that looks like sports betting but sits under federal commodities regulation.
Ranking member Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) was the sharpest critic. She said prediction markets had "blown a hole straight through" voter decisions and state sports betting laws, and urged Congress to make the CFTC actually regulate them. She closed by saying students should not be treated as a market to exploit.
Context from the hearing, as reported by InGame:
- More than 20 federal court cases involve sports event contracts.
- The CFTC ordered prediction markets to stop geofencing states within 30 days or explain why they can't.
- North Carolina is the only state to make prediction products legal, with a law taking effect January 1 that taxes the platforms without state regulation.
- CFTC Chair Michael Selig, appointed in December 2025, treats sports event contracts as swaps.
This week also brought a major court ruling against prediction markets. As we reported, a federal judge found that Novig's contracts are sports betting, a decision that directly echoes Maynard's point about identical products.
Player Props and the PROTECT Act
College player props were another central issue. Several college scandals have involved players conspiring with bettors to manipulate their individual performances, the kind of fixing that prop bets make easier than game-level betting. We've covered one high-profile case in our report on an NCAA point-shaving sentence.
The leading federal proposal is the PROTECT Student Athletes Act (H.R. 1552), introduced by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA). It would ban player props on student-athletes while still allowing bets on college games.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has repeatedly urged states to remove college player props, and numerous states have adopted partial or full bans. The NCAA has also joined a "Bad Actor" program with Integrity Compliance 360 and Signify Group to identify people who harass athletes online. Fanatics, DraftKings, Kalshi and Novig are partners.
What Witnesses Want
The panel's recommendations were mostly about treatment and prevention, not bans:
- Federal oversight and funding for gambling addiction (Clouner, Durkin and Mortenson).
- More research, funding and a bigger trained workforce to identify and treat problem gambling (all witnesses).
- Early intervention, education programs and real-time "warm" handoffs to mental health professionals.
- Federal minimum advertising standards that still respect state authority (Maynard).
Historical Context
Eight years after the Supreme Court struck down the federal sports betting ban in 2018, 39 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized sports betting. Congress has held hearings on the topic before, but this one comes at a turning point. Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterms, which is expected to bring more oversight of prediction markets and the CFTC in 2027.
Earlier efforts like the SAFE Bet Act have not passed. But the focus on students and player props, along with growing concern over prediction markets, gives lawmakers a narrower, more bipartisan target.
What This Means for Bettors
For regular bettors, nothing changes immediately. Hearings don't create laws. But a few trends are worth watching:
- College player props are disappearing. Many states have already removed them, and a federal ban is possible.
- Advertising rules may tighten. Federal minimum standards could change how sportsbooks market, especially around campuses.
- Prediction markets face more pressure. Between the courts and a new Congress, the regulatory window for sports event contracts may be narrowing.
If you bet on sports, do it responsibly and set limits before you start. Our bankroll management principles apply to betting as much as poker, and recognizing tilt is just as important. For a comparison of betting options, see our sportsbooks guide or reviews such as the BetOnline Sportsbook review.