Washington lawmakers are considering a new proposal aiming to resolve the long-running issue of children gaining access to gambling apps. Congressman Josh Gottheimer, joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour, introduced the “Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act” on July 15. The proposed legislation would require a facial recognition check before any bet or trade on a prediction market.
Underage Gambling Is on the Rise
According to the bill’s supporters, the current system offers very few barriers to underage gambling. Most platforms only verify age at account creation, meaning that anyone with access to the device could potentially place a bet. This situation could easily occur in a household environment, as a teenager only needs a moment to start wagering.
A kid can log into a parent’s, an older sibling’s, or a friend’s account and place a bet with no verification at all.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer
The proposal included several worrying figures. Last year alone, Americans wagered about $160 billion on sports, producing about $16 billion in revenue. Meanwhile, research shows that more than a third of boys aged 11 to 17 have gambled in some way in the past year. This figure is even higher among older teens, and a concerning number share signs of addiction and problem gambling.
State regulators are reporting a similar phenomenon. Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation has received dozens of underage betting reports, while Tennessee sportsbooks shut down more than 400 accounts connected to minors in 2024. And those are just the cases that get caught within the regulated gambling framework.
The Technology Faces Some Challenges
Gottheimer’s bill would require sportsbooks and prediction market platforms to run facial age checks when a user logs in and before a bet is placed. Instead of verifying the identity of the account holder, the system would use algorithms to assess the person holding the device. Some industry stakeholders like Kalshi have already supported the bill, urging for a federal standard to protect minors from harm.
However, the proposal has some underlying issues that remain unresolved. While facial recognition can estimate age, it is not always accurate. Lighting, camera quality, and distinct facial features can sometimes fool the algorithm. Facial recognition checks have also been circumvented by things as mundane as using a video game avatar. Edge cases, such as people who look close to the legal threshold, will also be common.
Privacy is another concern. While supporters stress that the system will not store biometric data, it must process the images somewhere, even if briefly. Cybersecurity experts stress that automation is rarely enough. Systems can flag, filter, and estimate, but human review remains necessary when decisions have consequences. Even the best software makes mistakes, and these can have real consequences.