Pennsylvania鈥檚 online casinos need new regulations that would transform how they are allowed to operate, according to a state report on options to address what some mental health experts are calling 鈥渁n urgent and escalating public health challenge.鈥�
But at the heart of a new state report on gambling addiction is a choice that isn鈥檛 resolved: Should Pennsylvania address the problem quickly and risk denting the gambling industry鈥檚 revenue, or study it more carefully and issue targeted changes more slowly?
The report says the commonwealth could address gambling addiction quickly by instituting a number of changes, including:
The legalization of online casinos in Pennsylvania in 2017 has led to the creation of the largest online gambling market in the country. now rivals all of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and its profits are growing 10 times as fast as Nevada鈥檚.
Pittsburgh is the fifth-largest market for gambling advertisements in the country, ; Philadelphia is first.
The widespread availability of online casinos has created a surge in the number of Pennsylvanians banning themselves from casinos, a potential reflection of the financial and emotional fallout of a gambling disorder. Pennsylvanians are at least twice as likely to suffer from a gambling addiction as the country as a whole, .
The joint commission report, written by staff and overseen by Ronald Grenoble, the commission鈥檚 assistant counsel, cites a number of studies showing that gambling addiction is likely increasing credit problems, spurring domestic violence, provoking harassment of Pennsylvania鈥檚 college athletes and, in some cases, leading to suicide.
A public health issue
The Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and the Pennsylvania Society of Addiction Medicine issued a joint statement this week, pointing out that the biggest risks may still be ahead: More than 1 in 4 Pennsylvanians are estimated to be at risk of developing a gambling addiction.
Kavita Fischer, , said she was pleased with the recommendations, which mirror some of the society鈥檚 own.
鈥淭he report made it clear that gambling is not a personal failing, it鈥檚 a public health issue and the recommendations really reflect that,鈥� she said.
Fischer has become one of Pennsylvania鈥檚 leading proponents of addressing the harms of gambling addiction, after , following a divorce. Fischer has described how online casinos targeted her with VIP perks to keep her gambling even after she tried to stop.
If the new regulations are adopted, including a proposal to limit VIP programs, Fischer said, many of the harms she faced would likely have been prevented.
鈥淚 had so many quit dates,鈥� she said. 鈥淚magine if you were trying to drink and someone kept leaving alcohol at your doorstep and then left coupons for alcohol at your doorstep. That is what is the predatory part of all of this.鈥�
Still, the recommendations in the report could face long odds of passing in the divided legislature of a state that receives billions of dollars in tax revenue from casinos and where casinos and other to lobby officials.
The American Gaming Commission did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for BetRivers, which operates the online casino associated with Three Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Pennsylvania鈥檚 Gaming Commission said they had just received the report and were looking it over.
Profits and precision vs speed and harm reduction
The new report lays out the total economic benefits of online gambling but doesn鈥檛 cite any estimates of the total social costs. 鈥淭here is no denying that the revenue from online gambling and sports betting can be economically beneficial overall for the states where iGaming is legal,鈥� the report states.
The authors of the report found only three credible estimates of how much of the gambling industry鈥檚 profits may be coming from people with a gambling disorder. One report, in Connecticut, shows just 5% of gamblers lead to 75% of casino profits. Another study of the internal financial documents of the gambling company PointsBet showed that just 0.5% of gamblers were responsible for more than 70% of the company鈥檚 profits. And a large study of gamblers in Great Britain showed 5% of gamblers are responsible for two-thirds of the profit.
One of the report鈥檚 recommendations is to require companies to provide an outside nonprofit agency with anonymized data 鈥� including gender, age, region of residence, frequency of play, length of play, speed of play and amounts wagered 鈥� about each gambler and then allow researchers to find specific ways to identify and stop individuals who may have disorders.
鈥淭he deliberate measure would use actual player data to generate responses to more precisely protect gamblers while continuing to maximize revenue,鈥� the report states.
Faster measures proposed by the report, its authors note, could diminish revenue. Those include:
Fischer said lawmakers should take immediate action, rather than passing a law that she believes would likely lead to redundant conclusions of the report. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just going to waste more time and cause more harm in the meantime,鈥� she said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro did not respond to a request for comment. Senate Republican leaders did not respond to a request for comment.
State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, held about the rising problem of gambling addiction and has proposed two bills to help address the problem, including . Fontana said this new report gives his bill extra momentum, as the legislature looks to address how to tax skill games. He said autumn debate of the skills game bill will be a chance to update the commonwealth鈥檚 gambling regulations for the smartphone era.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we鈥檙e shutting down the industry. We鈥檙e just trying to help the folks that need help here,鈥� Fontana said. 鈥淚s there a trade-off? Sure. There鈥檚 going to be a trade-off.鈥�
Proposed rules to limit gambling disorders
Although many of the recommendations in the report would likely require legislative action, the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission has aimed at addressing gambling addiction that are now out for public comment. The director of the commission鈥檚 Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling that these rules would be the most substantial efforts to address gambling addiction since online casinos were allowed a decade ago.
The proposed rules would require online casinos to offer more options for individuals to set limits on how much they gamble, including limits for how much per day, week or month. They would also be required to offer players the option of suspending their accounts for as long a year. And they would require casinos to file a monthly report with detailed information about how many Pennsylvanians chose to limit their own play or self-exclude entirely, as well as the number of accounts that were closed as a result of problem gambling.
The new rules would also place new limits on gambling advertisements including:
Monday鈥檚 report highlights a number of examples of online promotions that seemingly offer free money to gamblers but, in the fine print, require the gamblers to risk their own money to receive them.
At the heart of Monday鈥檚 report is a tacit admission that Pennsylvania鈥檚 current approach to gambling addiction, which focuses on trying to get individuals to take personal responsibility for their gambling behavior, isn鈥檛 effective for people with gambling disorders. The report cites research that gambling addiction requires a broader, public health approach, like efforts addressing addictive substances such as cigarettes.
New regulations proposed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission recommend changing state laws to refer to 鈥済ambling disorder鈥� rather than 鈥渃ompulsive and problem gambling鈥� to reflect changes in the scientific understanding of the problem. The public health approach, the joint commission report notes, is the only way to curb extreme gambling and its association with indebtedness, shame and suicidality.
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