Pennsylvania bill proposes online gambling safeguards
Pennsylvania lawmakers are proposing new deposit controls, product restrictions, and advertising limits for online casino and sports betting operators through House Bill 2879. The measure was introduced October 21 and referred to the House Gaming Oversight Committee that day.
Led by Representative Tarik Khan, the proposal treats online gambling as a public health and consumer protection issue. Its provisions would require operators to limit customers to two deposits within 24 hours and conduct affordability checks before accepting deposits exceeding $5,000 over a 180-day period.
Customers would have to establish daily and monthly monetary loss limits before placing their first wager. Reductions could take effect immediately, while increases would be subject to a cooling-off period. The bill would also prohibit funding wagers with credit cards or government assistance cards.
Product controls include a prohibition on microbets and on proposition bets involving multiple occurrences, nonoccurrences, or outcomes within one sporting event. Online casino games would face a minimum duration of 15 seconds, and autoplay functions that initiate successive wagers without a separate customer action would be prohibited.
Advertising and account access would face additional controls
The bill would bar push notifications and text messages soliciting bets or deposits. It also proposes restrictions on sign-up and deposit incentives, while prohibiting gambling advertisements between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and during live sports broadcasts. These are proposed obligations, not restrictions already in force.
Account-security provisions would require biometric information at registration and confirmation when customers log in. Platforms would also have to log customers out after 15 minutes of continuous inactivity and restrict simultaneous access from multiple devices, subject to the implementation periods set out in the legislation.
The sponsors’ memorandum connects the proposal with a wider package addressing gambling-related harm. Separately, a Louisiana lawsuit involving DraftKings and FanDuel challenges app design and personalized inducements; those allegations remain contested and are distinct from Pennsylvania’s legislative process.
The official legislative record lists committee referral as HB 2879’s latest action. It records no votes or committee meetings on the measure, leaving its proposed requirements subject to further legislative consideration.
