Pennsylvania weighs monthly statements to curb online gambling harm

A Pennsylvania state representative has proposed requiring licensed online gaming companies to send players monthly statements of their betting activity, in an effort to curb gambling-related harm in the state.

Rep. Joe Webster said the measure draws on an approach first introduced in Australia in 2022, which he argues has helped reduce harm among the people most affected by problem gambling.

What the bill would require

Under Webster's proposal, operators licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the state's gambling regulator, would need to issue regular statements showing how much a customer has wagered over the previous month. The idea is to give players a clear, factual record of their own activity rather than relying on memory or scattered account data.

It is for these reasons that I am introducing legislation to require licensed online gaming companies that operate in Pennsylvania to provide monthly activity statements to users.Rep. Joe Webster, Pennsylvania General Assembly

Webster pointed to a University of Sydney study that found such statements motivated the most heavily affected gamblers to change their behaviour after seeing a clear summary of their losses. The logic behind the policy is that transparency, delivered automatically rather than requested by the player, can prompt earlier self-correction before problems escalate.

Why Pennsylvania is acting now

The proposal comes as both state gambling revenue and reports of problem gambling have climbed in tandem. Webster noted that calls and texts to Pennsylvania's problem gambling hotline jumped 300 percent between 2021 and 2024, with 37 percent of those contacts linked specifically to online wagering rather than casino floors or retail betting.

That trend has been documented separately by the PGCB itself, which has reported a continuing rise in self-identified problem gamblers in the state even as licensed operators post higher revenues. For a market that has grown rapidly since Pennsylvania legalised online casino gaming, the figures have sharpened political attention on player protection measures that go beyond existing tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion.

What changes for players

If passed, the bill would not restrict what customers can wager. Instead, it would add a standing disclosure requirement, similar in spirit to a bank or credit card statement, so that players receive an unprompted summary of their spending rather than having to dig through an account dashboard. Supporters argue this removes a barrier for people who might otherwise lose track of cumulative losses across sessions.

Webster framed the measure as a transparency tool rather than a restriction on the industry.

“Problem gambling negatively affects families across the Commonwealth, and this consumer protection measure will provide important transparency to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to know what they are wagering,” he said, according to GamblingNews.com.

What happens next

The bill has been introduced but has not yet been scheduled for a committee vote. It would need to clear the Pennsylvania House and Senate and be signed by the governor before taking effect, and operators licensed in the state would likely be given a transition period to build the statements into their platforms. The PGCB has not publicly commented on the specific proposal.

Pennsylvania is one of the largest regulated online casino and betting markets in the United States, and any new disclosure requirement there could be watched closely by regulators in other states weighing similar player protection rules. Readers concerned about their own gambling activity can find support through the responsible gambling resources maintained by operators and regulators.