UNITE HERE president Mills urges Congress to block prediction markets over illegal sports betting claims
UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills urged Congress on June 4 to take action against prediction markets, arguing they constitute illegal sports betting that threatens workers' livelihoods and violates tribal sovereignty and state laws. The 300,000-member service union endorsed a U.S. Senate bill to restrict prediction markets, adding organized labor to the coalition seeking tighter federal controls on event-contract trading. UNITE HERE members rallied in Virginia, including at a site in Fairfax County near Tysons. The union specifically warned that prediction markets risk casino jobs and put good, union gaming jobs at risk. The statement did not name specific platforms or detail legislative provisions, and the article on the Senate bill did not identify its sponsor.
The endorsement gives a 300,000-member union a seat in the coalition pushing federal restrictions on event-contract trading, adding labor muscle to tribal and gaming-industry lobbying that previously drove the Senate bill. Any floor vote will now count union-backed turnout in casino states as a cost of inaction.