California lawmakers are taking a swing at the betting apps on teens' phones, rolling out a bill this week that targets fantasy sports and prediction markets they say are effectively "grooming our kids." The proposal would shut off youth access to those platforms by blocking them from advertising to minors and from letting anyone under 18 open an account, setting up a high-stakes fight among Sacramento lawmakers, regulators and the powerful gaming industry.
What the proposal would do
The measure, introduced by Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) and Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth), would bar fantasy sports wagering apps and prediction market platforms from marketing to minors and from creating accounts for users under 18, according to The Sacramento Bee. The bill explicitly calls out mainstream daily fantasy services and newer prediction markets, naming companies such as DraftKings, FanDuel and PrizePicks along with platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket as its main targets.
Attorney general has weighed in
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already put the industry on notice. In a legal opinion issued last year, he concluded that many online daily fantasy contests amount to illegal sports wagering under state law. His office has said it expects companies to comply and that enforcement is on the table, according to KCRA. That opinion, released in July 2025, has already prompted lawsuits and set off a broader regulatory scramble over how to classify app-based gambling.
Prediction markets in the crosshairs
Prediction platforms that sell event contracts are drawing particularly intense scrutiny because they let users place sports-style wagers in states that have not legalized sportsbooks, and regulators along with gaming tribes have moved to block some offerings, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has pushed back, arguing that some of those markets fall under federal oversight, a split that could send the dispute into federal court, the Associated Press notes.
Research lawmakers cite
Supporters of the crackdown are armed with fresh data on how often teens are already gambling. Common Sense Media's "Betting on Boys" report, based on a July 2025 national survey of more than 1,000 boys, found that roughly 36% had gambled in the previous year and about 12% said they took part in sports-related gambling, according to Common Sense Media. The group has thrown its support behind the proposed restrictions, and founder James P. Steyer has warned that opponents will "lobby heavily" to kill or water down the bill, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
What to watch next
The bill is heading into a buzzsaw of industry lobbying and a likely legal tug-of-war. Tribal leaders and operators have already signaled opposition, and federal regulators or the courts could ultimately decide how far states can go in reining in these newer betting markets, Stateline reports. Lawmakers are planning hearings in Sacramento in the coming weeks, and any enforcement move by the attorney general could quickly trigger fresh lawsuits in both state and federal courts.
