House Panel To Examine Campus Sports Gambling Rise

Why it Matters

After the 2018 Supreme Court decision to eliminate the federal ban on sports betting, sports gambling—including college sports betting—has grown rapidly across the U.S. Now, the question of college sports betting's legality will arrive before Congress as a formal policy question on November 11, when the House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development will hold a hearing titled "The Rise Of Sports Gambling On College Campuses." Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), a former professional football player himself, chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, and Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) is its ranking member. ​

Broader Context

On October 22, Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) issued a press release demanding answers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on its sports betting policies, saying that "seeing as the ACC is asking Congress for help with NIL, I believe we must have transparency regarding each body’s policies and how they navigate online betting." On the same day, a congressional communication from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) pressed sportsbooks and prediction markets on whether VIP programs are fueling addiction.

On the lobbying front, the American Gaming Association (AGA) is the most active spender tied to the hearing's topic. Its filings list the PROTECT Student Athletes Act (H.R. 1552), a bill sponsored by subcommittee Vice Chair Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-5). Meanwhile, FanDuel Inc., an online sports betting and gaming organization, reported $150,000 in lobbying across the first three quarters of 2026 related to online sports betting and the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act.