Patrick Kennedy

Patrick J. Kennedy served 16 years as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. He is best known as the author and lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, a landmark law that required insurance coverage for mental health and addiction treatment to be equal to that for physical health.

After leaving Congress, Kennedy co-founded One Mind in 2011, a nonprofit dedicated to brain health research, and founded The Kennedy Forum in 2013, which focuses on transforming mental health and addiction care through policy and parity enforcement. He is also the co-author of A Common Struggle (2015) and Profiles in Mental Health Courage (2024).

Though not an iGaming industry employee, Kennedy has been invited as a headline keynote speaker at major industry events such as SBC Summit Americas, where he addresses the public-health response to gambling harm and advocates for stronger player-protection measures. His involvement bridges mental health advocacy and responsible gambling initiatives.