Pennsylvania is considering a broad update to its responsible gambling regulations, with proposed changes covering everything from online casino and sports betting accounts to advertising and player protection messaging.
The review comes as Pennsylvania’s regulated gambling market continues to span multiple forms of wagering, including retail and online casinos, sports betting, video gaming terminals and daily fantasy sports. While the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) largely supports the proposed framework, it believes Pennsylvania should take a more proactive approach to protecting online players.
What Pennsylvania Is Proposing
The proposed rules would require online gambling operators to give customers the ability to establish daily, weekly or monthly limits on deposits, spending and playing time during account registration. Proposed regulatory revisions detailing these were officially published on July 11, although the package has not yet been finalized.
Players would also be able to impose individual wager limits and apply controls separately or jointly to interactive gaming and sports wagering while adding greater visibility around gambling activity, too. Operators would need to display an hourly popup showing how long a customer has been playing and how much they have wagered during the session.
Advertising would face tighter controls as well. Marketing could not suggest gambling is a solution to financial or personal problems, while operators could not promote offers as “free” or “risk-free” when customers must risk their own money or satisfy other conditions. Operators would have to send monthly messages covering responsible gambling tools, self-exclusion, and problem gambling resources, excluding any promotional material.
NCPG Wants the Rules to Go Further
NCPG, however, is clear on wanting tweaks to the way limits are activated. Under the proposed system, players would choose whether to set their limits. NCPG wants time and spending controls to be active by default when an account is opened, while still allowing customers to disable or adjust them.
That would shift the state’s approach from opt-in to opt-out. The difference could be significant because responsible gambling tools would no longer depend entirely on a player recognizing a potential risk and taking the initiative to activate a restriction.
NCPG has not proposed specific default spending amounts or time thresholds, leaving those details to the PGCB. Operators could consequently face additional changes to account registration and management systems if the recommendation is adopted.
The council has also challenged one proposed advertising change. The PGCB wants to reduce the minimum size of gambling help messages on billboards from 5% of the billboard’s height or width to 2%. NCPG argues there is no compelling reason to make those messages less visible and wants the existing requirement retained.
What the Changes Could Mean for Gambling in the State
Now, the final rules could still change. The public comment period closed August 10, while the Independent Regulatory Review Commission has until September 9 to issue its comments. The PGCB can make further revisions before submitting a final version.
NCPG’s recommendations give regulators another opportunity to decide how far Pennsylvania wants to push player protection as its online gambling market continues to mature.
