PA Gaming Control Board Launches “What’s Really at Stake” Campaign to Bring Awareness to Underage Gambling Problem

PGCB Executive Director Kevin O’Toole says the chief mission of the agency is to protect the public. While that means ensuring that legalized gaming is fair for those of legal gambling age, this mission extends to campaigns such as “What’s Really at Stake” that brings awareness to young people who can be negatively affected by gambling along with those they interact with such as family and educators. 

“The legalized gambling the PGCB regulates, and in particular online gambling, is intended for those 21 years and older,” O’Toole says. “The licensed operators in Pennsylvania have various tools within their systems to deny gambling privileges to those underage, but the proliferation of easily accessible illegal and unregulated sites that do not carry those protections to block underagers is a substantial reason in creating this negative situation.”

Josh Ercole, Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of PA agrees and says the greater availability of online gambling from unregulated, offshore entities is resulting in an increase in the number of young people that they assist who are developing a gambling problem and have been reaching out for assistance via the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline.

“In recent years, calls to the helpline regarding young individuals in Pennsylvania have increased,” Ercole says. “With so much access and availability, especially in unregulated forms of gambling, it is critical to have open discussions about risks and potential harms. It is also important to understand that while underage individuals playing games like these may seem innocent, early exposure and participation can lead to future problems.”

In addition to the What’s Really at Stake website, additional information and assistance for a gambling problem can be accessed on the PGCB’s dedicated website on this issue, ResponsiblePlay.pa.gov.  

The launch of the What’s Really at Stake campaign parallels the recent announcement of the availability of additional resources to help parents and educators protect kids from the risks of sports, online, and other forms of gambling. The materials, developed and curated by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, are available on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Standards Aligned System (SAS) website.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling involving 17 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.

The land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania consists of six racetrack (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and four mini-casinos (Category 4).  A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming returned $2.98 billion in tax revenue and fees to Pennsylvanians in 2026.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov.