Gambling

Bill Banning Credit Cards at PA Online Casinos Presented

Published

8 months ago

May 8, 2024

Admin

Bill Banning Credit Cards at PA Online Casinos Presented

There’s been talk of a possible PA online casinos credit card ban for more than a month now, with gamblers wondering whether this was all just talk or whether players in the Keystone State would need to find alternative casino payment methods.

Senator Wayne Fontana has finally put his money where his mouth is and presented Senate Bill 1159. If it makes it through, gambling sites across Pennsylvania will be obliged to ramp up their responsible gambling efforts by removing all credit cards options from their banking sections.

Pennsylvania Would Be the Fourth State to Prohibit Credit Card Gambling

Three states across the US have already taken steps to credit card gambling. These are Iowa, Massachusetts and Tennessee, making Pennsylvania the fourth state to institute such legislation should the Bill go through.

When he first floated the idea, Senator Fontana had stated back in March that the bill was inspired by the correlation between the increase in credit card debt and the growth of online gambling revenue across PA.

Senate Bill 1159 tackles the bull by the horns by stating that no PA online casino, sportsbook, lottery or fantasy sport license holder can “accept a credit card as a form of payment”.

The proposal is being viewed as a valuable tool in the drive towards raising more awareness about responsible gambling. Together with the other tools offered by Pennsylvania online casinos – such as self-exclusion, bet limits, time limits and the like – the PA credit card ban will offer an extra layer of protection to gamblers, limiting the likelihood of developing a gambling problem.

Meanwhile, several equally convenient casino payment methods will remain available across the Keystone State, including e-wallets, prepaid cards, eChecks and Venmo.