Pennsylvania bill would ban microbets, VIP programs and credit card deposits as lawmakers launch Problem Gambling Caucus

What the bill would do

HB 2879 would add a new chapter on online gambling public health to Title 35 of Pennsylvania's consolidated statutes. It would apply to online casino (iGaming) and online sports betting licensees and their operators. It would also cover their affiliates, intermediaries, subsidiaries and holding companies. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board would enforce it. Any breach would also count as a violation of the state's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.

Announcing the bill, Khan said it would not stop recreational betting: "People should be free to enjoy an occasional bet. But the gambling industry shouldn't be allowed to exploit addiction for profit."

Deposit, stake and loss limits

The bill sets hard limits in law rather than leaving them to operator tools:

• Deposits: no more than two deposits in 24 hours. Deposits above $5,000 in any 180-day period would require an affordability check against criteria set by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP).
• Deposit-to-bet delay: apart from a player's first wager, no bet could be accepted within 15 minutes of a deposit.
• Stake caps: $2 per play of an online casino game for players aged 21 to 25, and $5 per play for players over 25.
• Loss caps: players aged 21 to 25 would be stopped after losing $750 in 24 hours or $2,500 in 30 days. For players aged 25 and over, the limits would be $1,500 and $5,000. Reaching a limit would block betting for the rest of that 24-hour or 30-day period.
• Time limits: a default limit of two hours of logged-in time per 24 hours, which players could lower but not raise above the default. Players would be logged out automatically after 15 minutes of inactivity.
• Payments: only ACH debit, wire transfer or physical check. Credit cards and government assistance cards would be banned, as would gift cards bought with them.

Product bans: microbets, autoplay and fast games

The bill defines a microbet as "a proposition bet on a sporting event that is wagered live while the sporting event is ongoing and concerns the outcome of a play or action". Operators could not offer microbets. They also could not offer proposition bets that combine multiple outcomes from a single sporting event, the same-game props many sportsbooks market heavily.

On the casino side, games in which the time from start to result is less than 15 seconds would be banned, as would autoplay or any feature that places repeated wagers without a fresh action by the player.

Platforms would also have to verify players biometrically, for example by facial recognition or fingerprint. Checks would be required at sign-up, at every login, before any sports wager above $500 and at least every 30 minutes while a player is logged in. Existing accounts would be closed if the player did not provide biometric data within 60 days of the platform introducing the requirement. Within 90 days, players could be logged in on only one device at a time, with no more than two devices linked to an account.

Marketing, VIP programs and affiliates

The communications section would end many standard U.S. marketing practices:

• No push notifications or text messages offering gambling inducements. Bonus offers could reach players only on the platform, by email or by U.S. mail.
• No use of artificial intelligence or behavioural data to target promotions based on a player's losses or risk profile.
• No sign-up or deposit incentives, and no describing promotional credits as "free" or bets as "risk-free" when players must risk their own money or meet wagering requirements.
• No broadcast or online advertising between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. or during live broadcasts of sporting events.
• No VIP, host or similar programs that reward higher deposits or play.
• No affiliate compensation tied to registrations, betting volume or player outcomes.

Players would also see warnings at sign-up, at every login and every 30 minutes. Their 12-month and lifetime win/loss record would be on display, and they would receive monthly account statements.

Funding, data and oversight

The bill would charge each online casino and online sports betting licensee 0.0075 times its gross online gaming and sports wagering revenue, or 0.75%. The money would go into a restricted account of the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund, and DDAP would decide how it is spent. The bill would also create an Online Problem Gambling Public Health Task Force. It would require operators to use department-approved third-party monitoring software to spot high-risk play, and to give researchers access to anonymized transaction-level data.

The study behind the bill and the new caucus

The bill builds on the Joint State Government Commission study ordered by a 2025 House resolution, which passed 189–14. The bill's findings quote that study. It reported that 5.7% of online sports bettors and 4.9% of online casino players accounted for 80% of spending in each product. At one sportsbook in 2019 and 2020, VIP bettors were about 0.5% of customers but produced more than 70% of revenue. The study also cited one promotion that required about $375,000 in wagers to unlock a $2,000 bonus.

The Problem Gambling Caucus launched on the same day. It brings together House and Senate members from both parties, with Republican Senator Joe Picozzi as Senate chair, and will meet formally for the first time in January 2027. "Online gambling requires a modern response," Picozzi said. "Convenience cannot mean the absence of guardrails."

What happens next

The bill now sits with the House Gaming Oversight Committee. The 2025–26 session of the General Assembly ends on November 30, 2026, so a bill that is not enacted by then would have to be filed again in the new session. That makes the caucus's agenda for 2027 the more realistic route for any of these measures. Pennsylvania is one of the largest U.S. online casino markets.

New Jersey recently made data-driven responsible gaming triggers mandatory for online operators. Illinois has proposed ID-based self-exclusion for video gaming. In Europe, regulators have been moving towards cross-platform deposit limits.