Representatives Jamie Raskin and Andrea Salinas today (18 December) introduced the Ban Gambling on Elections Act, a legislative effort to prohibit wagering on US. elections. The move addresses growing concerns over the impact of political betting on election integrity and public trust in the democratic process.
This bill, a House counterpart to Senator Jeff Merkley’s legislation, aims to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to explicitly ban election betting.
Raskin emphasized the importance of maintaining public confidence in the electoral system. He described election betting as a practice that reduces democratic participation to a profit-driven gamble. Raskin said democracy requires transparent and trustworthy voting processes. He suggested that election betting creates a system clouded by betting odds and the influence of wagers.
This kind of betting ‘undermines’ democracy
Salinas echoed these sentiments, arguing that election betting incentivises interference and manipulation, potentially undermining the foundations of democracy. She also highlighted broader societal impacts of gambling addiction and pledged to continue advocating for resources to address this issue.
“Elections betting sets a dangerous precedent, incentivizing bad actors to try and influence or interfere with our elections systems. We cannot play roulette with our democracy by allowing this kind of wagering without a thorough accounting of the potential consequences.”
— Rep. Andrea Salinas
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