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State of Play’s TL;DR
- Lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Congress are teeing up tougher gambling consumer-protection rules.
- Proposals are aimed at deposit limits, push notifications, and advertising to minors.
- Lawmakers in Illinois, New York, and North Carolina are also weighing changes to better protect gamblers.
Pennsylvania Reps. Tarik Khan and Jamie Flick plan to introduce the Pennsylvania Online Consumer Protection Act, a proposal that would limit the number of deposits bettors can make in a 24-hour period, ban push notifications, and strengthen gambling advertising guidelines.
The lawmakers said the effort is meant to treat problem gambling as a public health issue.
In a memo, the Pennsylvania legislators wrote:
“Problem gambling is increasingly recognized as a public health issue because of the significant harm it can cause to mental health, financial security, and family stability. Together, these bills take a balanced approach that protects consumers, supports responsible gaming, and treats problem gambling as the public health issue it is.”
At the federal level, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Alabama Sen. Katie Britt reintroduced the GAME Act, which would protect people under 18 from targeted gambling advertising and impose penalties of up to $100,000 on operators that violate it.
Other states looking to add protections
Two other Pennsylvania responsible gambling bills are already in circulation. SB 265 would ban credit card deposits. SB 266 would ban direct advertising to people on the voluntary exclusion list.
These proposals point toward a more restrictive and more consumer-focused online gambling experience. Limits on repeated deposits in a single day could make it harder to chase losses quickly. A ban on push notifications would curb one of the more direct ways operators re-engage customers.
Tighter ad rules and a proposed ban on marketing to people on the voluntary exclusion list would also raise the bar for responsible gambling compliance.
In Illinois, a budget bill regulating sports event contracts on prediction markets was sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. The measure would apply taxes on a sliding scale of 20% to 40%, add a per-transaction tax on exchange wagers, lower the standalone mobile event wagering license application fee from $20 million to $15 million, and regulate daily fantasy sports. Pritzker has 60 days to act.
In New York, a bill requiring monthly account statements from sports betting operators passed both chambers unanimously. Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to sign or veto the legislation once she receives it.
In North Carolina, lawmakers are reportedly preparing to raise the online sports betting tax from 18% to as much as 30%.
Based on reporting by Jill R. Dorson for Yahoo News.
