Pennsylvania
City & State Pennsylvania recently spoke with Kevin O’Toole and Doug Harbach, executive director and communications director with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), respectively, on the latest trends in gaming and how the state may handle issues related to sports betting, skill games, and problem gambling.
O’Toole was asked what the PGCB is doing to make younger demographics aware of gambling-related risks. He said, “The statute dictates the legal age to gamble, and it’s always been 21 years except for fantasy contests with a gambling expansion bill. [This measure] made fantasy games available for those who are 18.”
The legal gambling age in Pennsylvania is also 21 except for lottery, horse betting, bingo, and online casinos. Because of iGaming and the legalization of sports betting, problem gambling is impacting younger generations now more than ever before.
“We have significant initiatives to provide awareness, education, and treatment to compulsive or problem gamblers, or people who believe that they may be approaching those categories. Those initiatives apply to people who are 21 or 22. And they apply to people who are 61 and 62,” O’Toole added.
“We’ve also had a self-exclusion list for a long time and a lot of people know about that and how to sign up to be excluded, whether that be for a one-year period, a five-year period or for a lifetime.
“For the age group 21 and up, we are hopeful that they will look at the various links that are on their screens if they’re playing online. … We require the problem gambling logo, and we require a link to the self-imposed list.”
Although Pennsylvania offers self-exclusion programs for gamblers, not that many players are utilizing it. In fact, less than 4% of registered players used it back in June.