Pennsylvania Gaming Authority Fulfills Over 20,000 Self-Exclusion Requests
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has hit a significant achievement. This week, they declared the completion of their 20,000th individual opting for voluntary exclusion from participating in legal gaming activities within the state.
This momentous event took place on June 5th, a Monday.
Elizabeth Lanza, head of the Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling (OCPG), stated, "The Casino Self-Exclusion Program, along with our other self-exclusion programs, offer effective and proven solutions for individuals to regain control over their lives and discover other recovery resources." She added, "The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board advises anyone who suspects they might have a gambling addiction to seek help and consider making use of the voluntary self-exclusion programs."
First introduced in 2006, the Casino Self-Exclusion Program provides a means for people to impose a ban on themselves from entering the state's physical casinos and retail sportsbook locations. It's essential to note that this program doesn't extend to iGaming or online sportsbook websites and apps.
Exclusion Program Information
Pennsylvania's Casino Self-Exclusion Program empowers gamblers to decide the duration of their self-imposed ban.
Approximately 21% of the enrollees, amounting to 4,335 individuals, have opted for a lifetime ban. Men comprise 12,811 of the 20,000 enrolled individuals, with individuals from various age groups, ranging from 21 to 102 years, also part of the program.
More than a thousand individuals who earlier removed their names from the Casino Self-Exclusion list re-enrolled at a later time.
Participants in the state's self-exclusion program can choose from a 12-month, five-year, or lifetime ban. Once the selection is made, the restriction remains in place until the chosen timeframe elapses.
Even if someone opts for a one-year ban, the exclusion continues beyond the initial 12 months, and they will remain prohibited from entering casinos until they successfully petition the PGCB for their removal from the program.
Additional Self-Exclusion Programs
Apart from the state's Casino Self-Exclusion Program, the PGCB manages self-exclusion programs for iGaming/online sports betting, video gaming terminals (VGTs), and fantasy sports contests.
The three additional self-exclusion options enroll significantly fewer people. The PGCB reports that its iGaming exclusion program has 3,779 individuals, the VGT program consists of 1,467 enrollees, and the fantasy sports exclusion counts less than 800 members.
Gaming is prospering in Pennsylvania. In the previous year, Pennsylvania ranked as the second-richest commercial gaming state in the U.S, trailing only Nevada. The state's casinos, iGaming platforms, sportsbooks, VGTs, and fantasy sports collectively raked in over $5.2 billion from players.
Pennsylvania lawmakers, together with then-Gov. Tom Wolf (D), expanded gaming significantly through legislation passed in 2017. The gaming package authorized new land-based casinos, sports betting, online gaming, VGTs at truck stops, and fantasy sports.
Currently, Pennsylvania hosts 17 land-based casinos. A 18th casino is currently being considered at the Nittany Mall near Penn State University.
