Prediction markets are drawing fierce criticism from one of the most powerful unions in the US gaming industry, with calls for Congress to act immediately.
UNITE HERE, which represents gaming industry workers across the United States, has warned that the rise of prediction markets could lead to significant job losses in land-based commercial and tribal casinos.
The union’s president, Gwen Mills, accused prediction market operators of violating state laws and tribal sovereignty by offering contracts that closely resemble sports betting products.
Unlike traditional sports betting and casino gaming, prediction markets currently fall outside the parameters of standard gambling regulation, meaning they are not subject to the same licensing requirements or consumer protections.
This regulatory gap is at the heart of UNITE HERE’s concerns, as it allows prediction market operators to offer gambling-adjacent products without facing the oversight that licensed gaming businesses must meet.
Mills has called on Congress to take “immediate action” to ban prediction market activity across sports betting and casino-style games, arguing the current situation directly endangers workers’ livelihoods.
“Prediction markets are putting good, union jobs in the gaming industry at risk,” Mills said. “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.”
Mills argued that legal commercial and tribal gaming operators have invested heavily over many years in creating stable employment and supporting local economies through regulated casinos and sportsbooks.
She pointed out that these businesses provide career progression for workers across a wide range of roles, from hospitality and food service through to gaming floor operations.
According to Mills, the growth of prediction markets threatens these gains by diverting revenue away from regulated operators that fund jobs, wages, and benefits for workers across the sector.
UNITE HERE’s position is that prediction market platforms are effectively conducting illegal gambling activity while avoiding the financial and regulatory responsibilities that come with operating a legitimate gaming business.
“We will not allow prediction markets to attack our jobs and turn back our progress,” Mills said, signalling that the union intends to push hard for a legislative response.
Mills has also emphasised that gambling regulation should remain firmly in the hands of tribal and state authorities rather than shifting toward a federal framework that could undermine existing structures.
With the Senate currently considering cryptocurrency market structure legislation, Mills believes the timing creates a critical window for lawmakers to reaffirm the boundaries of regulated gaming.
“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,” she said.
