UNITE HERE president Gwen Mills called on Congress to stop prediction markets from offering sports event trading, arguing it resembles casino gambling and threatens union jobs in the regulated gaming industry.
Key Takeaways
- UNITE HERE is urging Congress to stop prediction markets from offering sports and casino-style gambling products.
- The union said prediction market gambling threatens jobs tied to regulated tribal and commercial casinos.
- UNITE HERE backed S.4160, the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act, as a federal response.
The hospitality union represents more than 100,000 workers in tribal and commercial casinos. Its wider membership covers 300,000 workers across Canada and the U.S. in hotels, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textiles, distribution, laundry services, transportation, and airport operations.
Mills said prediction markets are putting casino jobs at risk by offering sports betting in ways the union says violate tribal sovereignty and state gambling laws. She tied the issue to brick-and-mortar casinos and sportsbooks, where regulated operators have invested in physical properties and local employment.
UNITE HERE said its casino members include housekeepers, bartenders, servers, cooks, and dishwashers. The union said collective bargaining in the sector has helped workers obtain higher wages, health coverage, and retirement security.
The union thanked Sens. Adam Schiff, Catherine Cortez Masto, and John Curtis for sponsoring S.4160, the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act. UNITE HERE urged the Senate to pass the measure and curb prediction markets that operate outside traditional gambling oversight.
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House Democrats seek FTC review of prediction market advertising
In related prediction markets news, there is a separate push from House lawmakers over how prediction market firms sell themselves to the public.
Nine U.S. House members have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review marketing claims made by prediction market operators. Reps. Kevin Mullin and Gabe Vasquez want the agency to examine whether the companies market products with gambling-style language while describing the same products to regulators as financial trading or investment vehicles.
Their letter centers on that split between public promotion and regulatory framing. Mullin and Vasquez were joined by Reps. Salud Carbajal, Valerie Foushee, Jared Huffman, Mike Levin, Raul Ruiz, Dina Titus, and Paul Tonko.
The request comes amid broader scrutiny of the prediction markets sector. In May, Congress began looking into Polymarket and Kalshi over insider-trading concerns. Lawmakers also asked both companies how they handled incidents reported on their platforms.
The Democratic lawmakers said some prediction market companies have used terms closely associated with sports gambling, including references to legal betting and sports betting without a sportsbook. They asked the FTC to respond by June 29 with details of any planned investigative or enforcement steps tied to potential deceptive practices.
The letter also asks whether the FTC has received consumer complaints about prediction markets and whether the agency weighs public perception and court filings when assessing possible deception.
