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Pennsylvania Report Notes Startling Rise in Problem Gambling Calls

  • Support calls specifically for online gambling rose 70% year-over-year
  • An attempt to ban credit card deposits for online gambling met failure
  • New technologies have contributed to the betting market growth
Call center phone
A report out of Pennsylvania shows a sharp increase in calls to the state’s problem gambling hotline. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Online gambling-specific calls spiking

How much gambling leads to problem gambling? Ever since the US Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting in 2018, watchdogs have attempted to answer this question by monitoring signs of a potential increase in problem gambling. Recent reports out of Pennsylvania show that support calls for online gambling in the Keystone State jumped 70% year-over-year, thus causing said watchdogs to assert that the state needs to take measures to reduce problem gambling.

Of the 2,834 total calls, 974 were for online gambling.

The “Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report 2023” noted that from 2022-2023, the number of calls to the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline specifically for online gambling increased to 34%. Of the 2,834 total calls, 974 were for online gambling. Gillian Russell, an assistant research professor at Penn State Abington and co-author of the report, noted there is an increasing concern for problem gambling across ages 21-30 in Pennsylvania.

The rise of Pennsylvania sports betting

In the past, Pennsylvania senators tried to put a stop to online gambling altogether, but they were met without any success. Other half-measures have seen little advancement, such as Senator Wayne Fontana attempting to pass a bill to prohibit credit cards from funding online gambling accounts. The bill wasn’t just stopped—it was met with intense backlash.

Pennsylvania has 12 sportsbooks now operating in the state, including heavy hitters like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN BET, and Caesars. On August 26, 2024, Pennsylvania Gaming Control and Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole spoke with?City and State?for an interview on where the growth and potential problems are coming from.

O’Toole said: “Well, the new technologies have contributed significantly to the revenue growth. With just land-based casinos, we had 13 up and running before the gambling expansion bill – and they generated about $3.3bn annually. After the expansion, it took about a year and a half to two years to bring that revenue figure up over $5bn, and now it’s getting closer to $6bn.”

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