(WTAJ) \u2014 A new report released by the Joint State Government Commission is recommending ways to curb problem gambling in Pennsylvania, including banning credit card deposits.<\/p>\n
The report<\/a> comes from House Resolution 60<\/a>, which was passed in May 2025, to combat problem gambling, which lawmakers called an “urgent public health threat.”<\/p>\n A study was conducted on sports betting and related interactive gambling in the Commonwealth. The resulting report included recommendations to reduce problem gambling behaviors, gambling debt, and exposing children to sports betting and related interactive gambling and related interactive gambling advertisements.<\/p>\n One of the recommendations stems from prohibiting credit cards from purchasing slot machine credits. The commission noted that deposits by credit cards could be uniformly prohibited. Unless otherwise decided, this recommendation doesn’t include debit cards, just credit cards, which historically have high annual percentage rates and fees.<\/p>\n The report references a Colorado law that is already in place to prohibit deposits by credit cards that could easily land problem gamblers in financial trouble.<\/p>\n In May, Senator Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny County) proposed a bill to prevent online casinos from accepting credit cards.<\/p>\n The report also recommends an option for individuals to set self-imposed limits on what they can deposit and spend daily, weekly and monthly.<\/p>\n Another suggestion for Pennsylvania lawmakers would be to prohibit casinos and online gambling sites from advertising in the vicinity of schools; this would include colleges, citing that most college students on campus aren’t of legal gambling age.<\/p>\n In addition, the commission addressed using popular athletes to promote sports wager apps that could attract people under 21, including minors. This could include advertising gambling apps on merchandise directed at children.<\/p>\n The full 126-page report from the Commission can be found by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n