SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT) AND REPRESENTATIVE PAUL TONKO (D-NY) TO JOIN KICK-OFF OF TRUTH AND INTEGRITY: THE MOVEMENT FOR GAMBLING REFORM

Lawmakers will join the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) and Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG) in Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2026, at event launching a national movement to bring accountability and comprehensive federal and state regulation to the gambling industry and its sports and technology partners

BOSTON, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) will join the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) and Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG) on September 23 in Washington, D.C., for the launch of Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform.

The event, in the Russell Senate Office Building, will bring together lawmakers, families, and advocates calling for meaningful action to address the continued expansion of the online gambling industry and its increasingly close financial ties to professional sports leagues, college athletics, prediction markets, and technology companies.

Senator Blumenthal and Representative Tonko are among the leading voices in Congress calling for stronger federal oversight of sports betting and greater consumer protections. Their participation comes as PHAI and FFOG push for action not only from lawmakers, but from the professional sports leagues and the NCAA, which have developed extensive financial ties to the gambling industry.

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

Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform enjoys early support from lawmakers in states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Minnesota, Georgia, and Colorado.

A NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR GAMBLING REFORM

PHAI and FFOG announced Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform on September 15th. The movement brings together families, advocates, policymakers, and members of the public to demand greater accountability from the gambling industry and the sports and technology companies that have helped fuel its expansion.

The movement will advance on three fronts: Congress, through investigative hearings, minimum federal safety standards, and legislation; state governments through stronger regulation and enforcement; and the American people, through advocacy and public pressure for reform.

EVENT DETAILS

The kickoff will take place from 4 PM to 5 PM on September 23rd in the Russell Senate Office Building. Families, advocates, policymakers, and members of the public are invited to join PHAI and FFOG for the September 23rd kickoff and become part of the broader Truth and Integrity: The Movement for Gambling Reform.

Join the event. Join the Movement.

About The Public Health Advocacy Institute

As a nonprofit legal research center focused on public health law, PHAI is uniquely suited to bring this lawsuit. PHAI was founded and is led by Dr. Richard Daynard, whose pioneering work on tobacco product liability litigation in the 1990s led to multibillion-dollar settlements with companies that had evaded liability for decades for selling dangerous tobacco products. In 2014, PHAI formed the Center for Public Health Litigation, a nonprofit law firm that uses the civil justice system to improve public health by focusing on litigation targeting tobacco industry products, unhealthy foods, deceptive health marketing, and deceptive gambling practices.

In March 2026, PHAI filed a landmark product liability lawsuit against DraftKings, FanDuel, Genius Sports, and the National Football League, alleging that the defendants developed, distributed, and profited from online sports betting platforms that relentlessly push addictive live in-game microbets. The case is Sage and Thompson v. DraftKings, Inc. et al. 

For more information on PHAI and its work, visit phai.org

About Families and Friends of Gamblers

Families and Friends of Gamblers (FFOG) is a nonprofit membership organization representing families and friends impacted by gambling addiction. Founded in 2025 with the support of the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), FFOG was created to give voice to the countless families and friends of people struggling with gambling disorder and gambling-related harm.

Through advocacy, public education, and community organizing, FFOG works to raise awareness of gambling-related harm, demand accountability, and advance comprehensive public health reform and regulation of the gambling industry and its sports and technology partners.

For more information or to join FFOG, visit hurtbygambling.org

SOURCE Public Health Advocacy Institute