Unite Here urges Congress to ban prediction markets
The union’s president says the products put industry jobs at risk.
US.- Gwen Mills, president of the union Unite Here, has urged the US Congress to take action to prohibit prediction markets from conducting sports betting and casino-style games. She argued that the products are putting industry jobs at risk.
Mills stated: “Prediction markets are putting good, union jobs in the gaming industry at risk. Over 100,000 Unite Here members work in Tribal and commercial casinos. Their livelihoods are now threatened by prediction markets conducting illegal sports betting in violation of Tribal sovereignty and state laws across the country. Congress must take immediate action to ban prediction markets from conducting sports betting and casino-style games.”
“Our members are casino housekeepers, bartenders, servers, cooks, and dishwashers. Together with responsible gaming employers, they have built a union standard with high wages, access to affordable health insurance, and the ability to retire with dignity. Good casino jobs allow our members to buy their first homes, send their kids to college, and quit second jobs to spend more time with their families. We will not allow prediction markets to attack our jobs and turn back our progress.”
United Here represents over 100,000 workers in Tribal and commercial casinos. Mills urged senators to pass the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act.
“As the Senate considers cryptocurrency market structure legislation, this is an urgent moment to reaffirm congressional intent that gambling is governed by Tribal and state authorities. We thank Senators Adam Schiff, Catherine Cortez Masto, and John Curtis for sponsoring the Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act (S 4160) and we urge the Senate to pass this critically important legislation,” she added.
Meanwhile, Google has announced that prediction market contracts and related products can no longer be promoted through its platform in the US state of Ohio. The June 2 policy update mirrors a similar decision in Nevada.
