Pennsylvania Bill Proposes to Ban Credit Card Payments in Online Casinos

A new bill proposed in the Senate of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is set to ban credit cards as a deposit option for online gambling.

Spearheaded by Senator Wayne Fontana, this bill is looking very likely to enter the PA state legislature.

No More Gambling on Credit

Senator Fontana and six cosponsors in the PA Senate proposed the legislation in late April 2024. It hardly came as a surprise, seeing how he had been drumming up support for the proposal for several months before it was filed. This included a memo issued in March that led to six other Senators joining Sen. Fontana’s push.

The proposed bill would amend the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to outright prohibit the use of credit cards for online gambling in the state. Basically, all forms of gambling would be affected, including:

• Online casinos
• Sportsbooks
• Electronic and online lotteries
• Fantasy sports leagues

If the proposal passes and becomes law, Pennsylvania would become the fourth US state to ban credit cards in online casinos after Iowa, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. On an international level, several countries have issued similar bans such as the UK, Australia, Norway, and Sweden.

What This Means for PA Casino Players

Well, it means exactly what you would think – players from Pennsylvania would no longer be able to deposit using credit cards.

Of course, they still have access to plenty of payment methods. This includes, but is not limited to, debit cards, pre-paid vouchers, e-wallets, and cryptocurrencies.

Although some may be unhappy about the restrictions, our team at CasinoPaymentOptions finds them fairly reasonable. We always say you should never gamble money you can’t afford to lose – let alone money you don’t even have. As Sen. Fontana points out, the average PA resident has more than $5,000 in credit card debt. It’s probably a good idea that gambling doesn’t add to this grim stat.

If you need an alternative method of depositing and withdrawing from online casinos, check out this page.