Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation that would impose sweeping restrictions on online gambling, including new limits on sports betting, bans on microbets and same-game parlays, and restrictions on promotions and push notifications.
- HB 2879 would introduce age-based loss limits, deposit caps, affordability checks, and mandatory biometric verification.
- The proposal would assess 0.75% of gross online casino and sports wagering revenue to fund problem gambling programs.
- The bill was referred to the House Gaming Oversight Committee on Oct. 21, with no meeting or vote listed as of Oct. 28.
Under House Bill 2879, introduced by Rep. Tarik Khan, Pennsylvania online gambling operators would be prohibited from offering microbets and wagers combining multiple outcomes from a single sporting event, effectively banning same-game parlays.
Operators would be prohibited from offering sign-up incentives and VIP or loyalty programs that encourage increased gambling, deposits, losses, or betting frequency. Push notifications could not be used to deliver gambling bonuses or incentives.
The legislation would limit customers to two deposits in a 24-hour period and generally prohibit wagers within 15 minutes of a deposit. Deposits exceeding $5,000 over 180 days would require an affordability assessment.
Credit cards and government assistance cards would no longer be used to fund online gambling, allowing only ACH debits, wire transfers of readily available funds, or physical checks.
The bill would prohibit further wagering once customers reached specified loss thresholds: $750 in 24 hours or $2,500 in 30 days for those aged 21 to 25, and $1,500 in 24 hours or $5,000 in 30 days for older customers.
Customers would have to set daily and monthly limits on the time they spend logged in, with a two-hour daily default and a 72-hour waiting period before increasing the limit. Biometric verification would be required at login and before wagers exceeding $500.
The bill would restrict online gambling advertising between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and during live sports broadcasts. It would also prohibit ads featuring athletes, celebrities, or influencers likely to appeal to minors, as well as promotions designed to encourage customers to recover previous gambling losses.
Additionally, the legislation would introduce a 0.75% assessment on Pennsylvania sports betting and online casino revenue to fund problem gambling programs operated by the state’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
HB 2879 was referred to the House Gaming Oversight Committee on Oct. 21 and has nine cosponsors. No committee meeting or vote was listed as of Oct. 28, with the legislative session scheduled to end Nov. 30.
Pennsylvania posts $555M in September gaming revenue
The proposed legislation comes as Pennsylvania's gambling market continues to grow. The state generated $555 million in combined gaming revenue in September, up 4.07% year over year.
Online casino games generated $249.3 million in revenue, up 6.82% from September 2025. Pennsylvania’s total sports wagering handle reached $798.7 million, representing a 6.09% year-over-year decline.
However, taxable sports wagering revenue climbed 50.45% year over year to $44.7 million. Online wagering accounted for $40.3 million, while retail betting contributed $4.4 million.
