Pennsylvania Representative Jason Ortitay has authored legislation seeking to restrict access to online gambling and sports betting while physically located on school property, which includes classrooms, buildings and exterior grounds.
“Pennsylvania has authorized interactive gaming and sports wagering under a licensed and regulated framework. That framework was built for adults making lawful choices. It was never intended to reach into our classrooms,” Ortitay said.
“Yet the reality today is that a student can sit in a classroom or stand on a playground and, using a smartphone, access online gaming and sports betting platforms. In some cases minors are using a parent’s account and credentials to do so.”
Ortitay’s legislation has yet to be introduced, but would use “geospatial technologies” to prevent players from accessing apps or sites. While the Pennsylvania lawmaker has yet to file the legislation, he confirmed intentions to do so “in the near future.”
Ortitay continued: “By placing the responsibility on licensed operators to enforce a geofence around our schools, we close a gap that has allowed gambling to reach students where they should be safest and most focused on learning.
“In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation to protect Pennsylvania students from accessing online gambling and sports wagering while at school.”
Also in the Keystone State, Representatives Tarik Khan and Jamie Flick introduced a package of legislation aimed at strengthening consumer protections for iGaming players and addressing problem gambling as a public health issue on June 4.
The legislation would establish an Online Consumer Protection Act, which limits deposit frequency within a 24-hour period, restricts push notifications, heightens safeguards for youth-targeted advertising and expands responsible gambling investments.
Additionally, Khan and Flick’s legislation package would prohibit the use of credit cards to fund online gambling accounts and ban operators from sending marketing materials to individuals who voluntarily enrolled in Pennsylvania’s self-exclusion program.
The Pennsylvania bills draw inspiration from recent legislation passed in Colorado, which introduced public health-focused safeguards and commonsense consumer safeguards.
The MGCB launched a new responsible gambling campaign focused on underage gambling prevention in May, as US regulators and public health groups raise concerns over growing youth exposure
