A bipartisan bill in Congress would use a third of the federal tax on sports betting to provide $100 million a year for treatment and prevention programs for compulsive gambling.
The Providing Opportunities for Individuals In Need of Treatment & Support (POINTS) Act was introduced Tuesday in the House of Representatives by Republicans Erin Houchin of Indiana and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, and Democrats Andrea Salinas of Oregon and Troy Carter of Louisiana.
If enacted, it would mark the first federal funding specifically intended to treat gambling addiction.
“As sports betting and online gambling continue to expand across the country, we have a responsibility to ensure people struggling with addiction are not left behind,” Salinas said in a statement.
