Pennsylvania HB 2879 Would Ban Microbets and Cap Online Casino Losses

Pennsylvania state Representatives Tarik Khan (D) and Jamie Flick (R) introduced House Bill 2879 on October 21, 2026, a wide-ranging bill that would ban in-game microbets, cap online casino wagers and losses, end VIP and loyalty programs, and restrict gambling advertising statewide.

The bill bans live prop bets on the outcome of a single play or action in a game, along with prop bets that combine multiple occurrences from one event, and would limit deposit funding to ACH debits, wire transfers, and physical checks - cutting out credit cards and government assistance cards. It bars VIP programs that assign a dedicated host or are structured to encourage bigger deposits or losses, and it would cap online casino wagers at $2 per play for players aged 21 to 25 and $5 per play for everyone older, with loss limits of $750 in 24 hours or $2,500 in 30 days for the younger group and $1,500 in 24 hours or $5,000 in 30 days for the rest. Operators would need to run an affordability assessment before accepting more than $5,000 from a single player over 180 days, sessions would default to a two-hour daily limit with a 72-hour cooling-off period to raise it, and accounts would auto-log-out after 15 minutes of inactivity. Advertising would be barred between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., during live sporting broadcasts, and in any form aimed at minors or young adults. A new 0.75%-of-revenue assessment on operators would fund a restricted account run by the state's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

The bill builds on a July 2026 Joint State Government Commission study that Khan's own 2025 resolution - which passed the House 189-14 - had requested; that study found 5.7% of online sports bettors accounted for 80% of total spending, and that 0.5% of one sportsbook's customers generated more than 70% of its VIP-program revenue. It was introduced the same day Pennsylvania lawmakers launched a bipartisan Problem Gambling Caucus that both Khan and Flick belong to. The bill has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing and would still need to clear the House, Senate, and governor's desk.

This is a different bill from House Bill 2801, which we covered when it was filed in September and which would ban sweepstakes casinos outright - HB 2879 targets regulated, licensed real-money online casinos and sportsbooks instead. Together, the two show Pennsylvania lawmakers taking a harder look at both the regulated and unregulated ends of online gambling in the same legislative session. See our Pennsylvania legal guide for the fuller picture.