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Stop Predatory Gambling is a United States-based nonprofit organization and advocacy network dedicated to exposing commercial gambling’s effect on communities and families.^[1]. Stop Predatory Gambling is the only nonprofit working at the national level in the United States to stop the expansion of commercialized gambling^[2].

Under the leadership of National Director Les Bernal, the organization has expanded into a national advocacy group with affiliates across the United States^[3]. Prior to joining Stop Predatory Gambling, Bernal served as a Chief of Staff in the Massachusetts State Senate and worked as a campaign strategist for more than forty federal and state campaigns^[4]. Bernal is lobbying for marketing and advertising for commercialized gambling operators to be banned from the airwaves, as the Federal Communications Commission did with tobacco products 40 years ago^[5].

Individuals across communities in the U.S. came together to organize the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling in 1994^[6]. Tom Grey, a former United Methodist minister turned anti-gambling activist became the national spokesman of the movement, lobbying on the local, state and national level, has helped defeat gambling initiatives in more than 33 statewide referendum and legislative battles in 25 different states^[6]. In 2008, building on the work of NCALG, the organization expanded its mission under the new foundation Stop Predatory Gambling^[7]. By 2018, Les Bernal, Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, was speaking from outside the professional sports leagues’ coalition when he argued “the role of government… is not to go out and encourage citizens to gamble”^[8]. The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigation held a hearing on September 27, 2018 titled: titled: “Post-PASPA: An Examination of Sports Betting in America”^[9]. The panel of speakers speakers included Les Bernal. Mr. Bernal testified about the social consequences of online gambling, including potential availability of gambling to minors, and a possible need for federal laws and regulation to address off-shore, online sports gambling and the enforcement of UIEGA and the Wire Act^[10]. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a prior ban on sports betting and since September 2024, there were 38 states in the U.S. where sports betting was legal to different degrees^[11].

In 2024, the organization was profiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, in a feature titled "Can a Scrappy Nonprofit Transform in Time?"^[2], which described its efforts to evolve from a volunteer-led coalition into a more professionally structured advocacy group with broader political influence. The foundation has also been featured in investigative reporting by Corporate Crime Reporter stating is as a charity that addresses gambling addiction and its social consequences^[12].

Stop Predatory Gambling staff and allies have participated in national media discussions and documentary programming. For example, its National Director, Les Bernal, has appeared on CBS News^[13], John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight"^[14], and Al Jazeera's documentary "Fault Lines"^[15], speaking on the rise of sports betting and government involvement in gambling promotion. In 2025, the organization’s Director of Strategy and Campaigns, Autumn Leva, contributed an op-ed to the Institute for Family Studies on the effects of commercialized gambling on families and communities^[16].

The Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation is recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with documentation of its IRS tax-exempt status and annual financial reports (Form 990)^[17] . In 2024, according to data compiled by ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, the foundation reported total revenue of approximately $148,000, expenses of about $158,000, and net assets totaling around $52,100^[17] The foundation refuses contributions from commercial gambling entities or interests, underscoring its stance on independence and avoidance of conflict of interest^[2]. The organization earned Candid's 2025 Gold Seal of Transparency awarded to charitable organizations who have demonstrated nonprofit transparency^[18]

One viewpoint that opposes anti-gambling organizations can be seen in the most popular professional sports league in America, the NFL. The NFL points to the fact that sports betting is a legal activity and positively impacts its league's brand and culture.^[19]. Because it is now legally accessible and something their consumers want, the NFL sees it as a way for the league to generate more interest which translates to more revenue^[19]

Tax revenue is widely credited as the number one reason for the support of legalizing sports betting^[20]. Policymakers argue a targeted tax on sports wagers or net gaming helps raise revenue and mitigate problems that could come with larger betting markets^[20]. Moreover, policymakers argue that public funds can be used to improve the well-being of those who need help breaking their addiction and sports betting taxes can be used to raise revenue to support those addicted players^[20].