Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Canonsburg, has introduced legislation that would require online gaming and sports wagering operators to block access to their platforms from inside Pennsylvania schools.

A state lawmaker wants students focused on learning reading, writing and arithmetic – not gambling.

Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Canonsburg, has introduced House Bill 2631 to require online gaming and sports wagering operators to block access to their platforms from inside Pennsylvania schools, closing a gap that Ortitay said has allowed students to gamble during the school day.

Pennsylvania already authorizes interactive gaming and sports wagering for adults under a licensed and regulated framework. That framework was never meant to reach classrooms, but smartphone access allows some minors who are using a parent’s account and personal information to place bets and play casino games while sitting in class.

House Bill 2631 puts the responsibility on licensed operators to use geospatial technology, the same kind of location software they already use to keep gambling inside state lines, to draw a digital boundary around school property. Inside that boundary, the platforms simply will not function, regardless of whose account is being used.

“Our schools should be a place for learning, not a place to lose your future one bet at a time,” Ortitay said. “The technology to stop this already exists. We are simply asking the operators who profit from gaming to make sure their products cannot be used by a child sitting in a classroom. This is common sense, and it is long overdue.”

Ortitay is introducing the legislation in honor of Ray Mikesell, a young man from South Fayette Township whose struggle with gambling addiction began while a student. That addiction followed him for years and ultimately cost him his life. His father, Raymond Mikesell Jr., approached Ortitay asking the Commonwealth to act so that no other family would endure the same loss.

“If this legislation helps even one person, it is worth it,” Mikesell said. “This is for my son.”

Ortitay developed the legislation in coordination with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which is supportive of the approach. Ortitay has previously pushed for passage of legislation to consolidate the state’s problem gambling resources into the 1-800-GAMBLER help line.

House Bill 2631 has been referred to the House Gaming Oversight Committee.

“Ray’s story is one too many families across Pennsylvania know all too well,” Ortitay said. “His father turned his grief into a mission to protect other kids. The least we can do is honor that by getting this done.”