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- Two Pennsylvania lawmakers circulated a legislative memo proposing to raise the paid fantasy sports minimum age from 18 to 21.
- The forthcoming bill would also update state definitions to clarify that evolving fantasy contest structures remain distinct from sports betting.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are preparing a bill that would raise the minimum age for paid fantasy sports contests from 18 to 21 and update how the state defines fantasy sports under law.
According to a co-sponsorship memo circulated by Rep. Sean Dougherty and Rep. Jason Ortitay, the proposal is meant to align paid fantasy sports with Pennsylvania’s age requirement for sports betting, reflect growing responsible gaming priorities, and modernize rules the lawmakers say have not kept pace with the market.
Proposal would change age limit and fantasy sports definitions
The planned legislation has not yet been formally introduced. But the memo outlines two major changes.
First, it would increase the minimum age for paid fantasy sports contests to 21, up from the current 18. The memo says that would bring fantasy sports in line with the state’s sports betting age threshold.
Second, the bill would update Pennsylvania’s definition of fantasy sports contests to align with federal law. The lawmakers also said the legislation would clarify that operators may use a variety of scoring systems and contest structures without those contests being classified as sports betting under state law.
That clarification could matter for fantasy operators as contest formats continue to evolve beyond more traditional season-long products.
Lawmakers cite falling tax receipts as a reason for changes
In the memo, Dougherty and Ortitay said Pennsylvania’s fantasy sports tax receipts have fallen 34.1% over the past five years. They argued that modernizing the law could help strengthen the regulated market and improve tax performance.
The lawmakers pointed to other states as examples. The memo says Massachusetts saw fantasy sports tax receipts rise by more than 13% in the two years after fantasy sports expansions, while Arizona posted 47% fantasy sports revenue growth after modernizing its laws.
Those comparisons are part of the case for revising Pennsylvania’s framework, though the exact statutory language is still not public because the bill has not yet been filed.
What comes next in Pennsylvania
For now, the proposal remains at the memo stage. That means key details are still unresolved, including when the bill will be introduced and what exact language lawmakers will include in the final measure.
Readers and operators should watch for the formal bill filing in the Pennsylvania legislature, which will show whether the proposal keeps its focus on the higher age limit, updated fantasy sports definitions, and the legal distinction between fantasy contests and sports betting.
Source: As reported by Anna Schmidt.
