Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Paul Tonko support new gambling reform initiative

• Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform, a campaign by PHAI and FFOG, launches on Wednesday, September 23, 2026
• Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Paul Tonko, two lawmakers recognized for their dedication to consumer protection and stronger oversight of sports betting, confirmed their support for the campaign
• PHAI’s Director of Gambling Policy, Dr. Harry Levant, speaks about the dangers of excessive gambling

Last week, the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) and Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG) announced the upcoming launch of a new campaign that seeks gambling reform in the United States.

Now, two leading voices in Congress, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko, confirmed their intention to support the initiative called Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform.

The campaign enjoys early support

PHAI and FFOG revealed last week that the new campaign will officially kick off on September 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C., seeking changes on federal and state level in the context of the growing gambling industry and its ties to sports leagues across the country.

Over the last few years, legal sports betting and prediction markets have expanded rapidly across the United States.

While previously, legal betting was restricted to a handful of states, now, 40 states offer some form of legal betting.

The ties of professional and collegiate sports leagues to betting companies raised a range of concerns, thus resulting in the launch of the Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform campaign.

Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Tonko are recognized as leading voices in Congress and have continuously called for stronger federal regulations of sports betting.

They have also encouraged the implementation of enhanced consumer protection.

Now, both Sen. Blumenthal and Rep. Tonko support the new campaign by PHAI and FFOG that calls for comprehensive and far-reaching changes not only from lawmakers across the country but from sports leagues.

PHAI’s Director of Gambling Policy, Dr. Harry Levant, commented in a press release: "We will continue to gain bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. There is overwhelming evidence that we are in the midst of a mental-health and public-health crisis related to gambling addiction."

"This movement is just the beginning. It is a cry from the nation that we've had enough," Dr. Levant said in conclusion.

PHAI and FFOG’s new initiative is already enjoying support from lawmakers in states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, among others.

The event kicks off today at the Russell Senate Office Building, gathering lawmakers, families and industry advocates.

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