US Bill Requires Facial Recognition for Online Betting

A new bill introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer on July 15, 2026, aims to require online sportsbooks and prediction markets to use facial recognition technology to verify a user's age, as reported by Gaming Intelligence, which notes that the technology would be used to estimate age before a wager can be placed. The Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act, which has eight bipartisan cosponsors, would force sportsbooks and prediction markets to scan a user's face, according to legalsportsbetting.com. This development comes as lawmakers are pushing back on warrantless spying, as seen in efforts like those described in Lawmakers Push Back on Warrantless Spying, and raises concerns about the use of facial recognition technology in various contexts, including online betting, which may have implications for data protection, a topic also being discussed in relation to India's Data Protection Bills.

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