Wayne Fontana, Pennsylvania Senator has introduced Senate Bill 1159. This aims at credit card ban for depositing funds into online gambling accounts. He emphasized the need for enhancement in consumer protection and responsible gambling measures within the state when filing the bill.
Discussions that began in March follows through Fontana’s bills. Once the legislation is passed, Pennsylvania will join Iowa, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. They all ban credit card funding for gambling. The moves seeks to address growing concerns surrounding problem gambling, most especially in online gambling.
The Pennsylvania Senator expressed the need to restraint gambling-related harm in filing the bill. He cited statistics from a 2022 Online Gambling Report. It indicates that 36% of online gaming participants in Pennsylvania have reported gambling problems.
Fontana underscored the potential financial risks associated with online gambling. It highlights the average Pennsylvanian’s credit card balance of over $5,640. It emphasizes the need to prevent further accumulation of debt through online gambling.
Senate Bill 1159 is specifically targeting online casinos, sportsbooks, iLottery, and fantasy sports platforms. This specifies that license holders offering these services may not accept credit cards as a form of payment.
The senator’s memo accompanying the bill stresses the importance of promoting responsible gambling practices. It emphasizes preventing individuals from falling into a cycle of debt due to excessive gambling.
The memo reads that often called a gambling addiction or gambling disorder, this behavior becomes a problem when an individual develops a strained relationship with loved ones, borrows money to gamble, gambles to experience a high or feeling, and misses work, school, or other activities and obligations in order to gamble.
Pennsylvania’s ongoing efforts to prioritize responsible gambling align with the initiative, providing players with various resources. This includes the self-exclusion tool offered by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, educational initiatives by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, and prevention and treatment services provided by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
