Pennsylvania Sweepstakes Ban HB 2801 Blocked on House Floor

Pennsylvania's proposed sweepstakes casino ban, House Bill 2801, was ruled out of order both times it was offered as a House floor amendment, on October 5 and October 7, 2026, so no Pennsylvania law bans sweeps casinos yet, though the bill is still alive in committee.

The House upheld both rulings on near party-line votes. As written, the ban would take effect the day it is signed, which matters to anyone playing at sweepstakes casinos in Pennsylvania today.

The bill is from Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102). On its own it hasn't moved since it was referred to the Gaming Oversight Committee on September 24. What changed this week is that Diamond tried to get around the committee, and both attempts were recorded.

What happened on the House floor?

Diamond filed two amendments that copied HB 2801 into Senate bills already on the floor. Amendment A04393, drafted September 29, targeted SB 398. Amendment A04395, drafted September 30, targeted SB 416. Both Senate bills amend Pennsylvania's Local Option Small Games of Chance Act. We compared the sweepstakes section of each amendment with the bill as introduced (Printer's No. 3912), and the text is identical in all three.

Each time, Diamond moved to appeal the chair's ruling, and each time the ruling stood. The House's daily session report for October 5 records that vote as 103-99. The official roll call for the same motion, RCS 1431, shows 104-98 with one member on leave. We've used the roll call.

The votes split almost exactly by party. On both roll calls, all 103 Democrats voted Yea, and all but one Republican voted Nay; Rep. Jack Rader voted Yea both times. Diamond and co-sponsors Jacob Banta, Brad Roae and Dan Moul voted Nay. HB 2801's only Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Jeanne McNeill, voted Yea on both, with her caucus.

The chair's reasoning isn't in either document we read. The October 7 report cites House Rule 20 and says nothing more. The House Journal for those days was not posted when we checked.

What would HB 2801 actually ban?

The sweepstakes language is a new section, 4 Pa.C.S. § 13B64, inside a much longer gaming bill. It makes it unlawful "to operate, conduct or promote online sweepstakes games within this Commonwealth". It also reaches anyone who helps: it is unlawful "to take action to support or assist in the administration, operation, conduct or promotion of online sweepstakes games".

The penalty is "a fine of not less than $50,000 and not more than $500,000 for each violation", plus licence revocation and a licensing bar. Both the Gaming Control Board and the Attorney General get subpoena and cease-and-desist power.

The definition covers any online game that "utilizes a dual-currency system of payment" and "simulates casino-style gaming". It names bingo and sports wagering as well as slots and table games. It carves out "a game which does not award cash prizes or cash equivalents". That carve-out is how Gold Coins-only play survives in other ban states, and our Gold Coins vs Sweeps Coins guide explains the split.

When would a Pennsylvania ban take effect?

Immediately. The bill's last section reads "This act shall take effect immediately". A04393 had the same line, and A04395 applied it to everything except a 60-day clock on one small-games-of-chance provision.

That's what matters most for players. Oklahoma's ban, SB 1589, says it "shall become effective November 1, 2026", which gave months of warning; our Oklahoma ban countdown covers what players there should do before it starts. As written, a Pennsylvania ban would apply the day it became law, with no redemption window written into the statute. Any grace period would be whatever each operator chose to offer. Spree's terms, for one, already say a change to its Prohibited Territories "shall not entitle any players to refunds".

If you play from Pennsylvania, two things are worth doing now rather than later: finish identity verification at each site where you hold Sweeps Coins, because operators such as WOW Vegas won't process a redemption without it, and don't let a large balance sit. Our redemption guide covers what slows a cash-out down.

Do sweepstakes casinos still accept Pennsylvania players?

Almost all of the ones we checked on October 10 do.

High 5 is the exception, and its exclusion predates this bill. Nothing about this week's votes changed any operator's state list that we can see. Being on a state list isn't the whole story, though: WOW Vegas switches off part of its game lobby in Pennsylvania by studio.

Is Pennsylvania's ban dead?

No. HB 2801 is still in committee, and the bill page, generated October 10, shows one action: "Referred to GAMING OVERSIGHT, Sept. 24, 2026". It has no committee meetings and no votes. Out-of-order rulings dealt only with the amendments, not the policy, and the bill can still be taken up in committee. What this week does show is that, twice, the House voted to keep the ban off a small-games-of-chance bill.

Our Pennsylvania state page didn't yet mention HB 2801 or these votes on October 10, and we've logged it for an update. For the wider picture of where bans stand, see our guide to whether sweepstakes casinos are legal.

Sources & documents

• HB 2801 bill page, generated October 10, 2026, and bill text, Printer's No. 3912, Section 27
• Amendment A04393 to SB 398 and Amendment A04395 to SB 416
• House daily session reports for October 5, 2026 and October 7, 2026
• House roll calls RCS 1431 and RCS 1493
• Operator documents: High 5 Casino Sweepstakes Rules, WOW Vegas SC Game Rules, Spree Terms of Service, and help-centre state lists at McLuck, Pulsz, Mega Bonanza and PlayFame

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