Pennsylvania self-exclusions spread beyond casino counties, analysis finds
Regulation1 min read
An analysis of Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board data found that self-exclusions have increased and spread to counties distant from casinos since online gambling began in 2019. Blair County recorded 115 self-exclusions last year, giving it the state’s third-highest concentration at just under one person per 1,000 residents. The county had recorded six self-exclusions during the previous decade before 2019.
Gambling self-exclusions have spread to Pennsylvania counties far from casinos since online gambling arrived in 2019, according to an analysis of Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board data by Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Self-exclusion enrollment has climbed steeply since 2019, when the first online casino opened.
In Blair County, 115 residents self-excluded last year, giving it the state's third-highest concentration at just under one per 1,000 residents. In the decade before 2019, six Blair County residents had self-excluded, one of the lowest rates in the state. Before this year, neither Blair County nor any neighbouring county had a casino.