TLDR Rep. Josh Gottheimer introduced the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act on July 16, 2026. The bill requires online sportsbooks and prediction markets to scan a user’s face to estimate age. Prediction market company Kalshi and the group ParentsRISE support the bill. Kalshi already uses Face ID checks, two-factor authentication, and extra rules for users age 18 to 21. Prediction markets currently allow users as young as 18, while most sportsbooks require users to be 21.
A new bipartisan bill in Congress would require online sportsbooks and prediction markets to use facial recognition to check a user’s age.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey introduced the measure on July 16, 2026. It is called the Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act.
The bill would require platforms to scan a user’s face to estimate their age. This would happen either at login or right before a bet is placed.
Gottheimer’s office said the system would not store personal identities or biometric records. The scan would only be used to check age.
The bill has support from prediction market company Kalshi and the advocacy group ParentsRISE.
Several lawmakers from both parties have signed on as co-sponsors. They include Jeff Van Drew, Nick LaLota, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Jimmy Panetta, Darren Soto, Tom Suozzi, Ritchie Torres, and Bruce Westerman.
Gottheimer said current age checks rely on trust rather than real verification. He said children can use a parent’s, sibling’s, or friend’s account to place bets without anyone checking.
“We’re asking our kids to self-police their way past a system built entirely on the honor code,” Gottheimer said. “We wouldn’t accept that at a casino in Las Vegas. We shouldn’t accept it on the phone in our kid’s back pocket.”
Kalshi Says It Backs the Bill
Kalshi chief executive Tarek Mansour