The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) released a 2022-2023 Annual Report this week. It describes the state’s gaming sector’s progress in the last year. Still, the 44-page report celebrates gaming’s benefits in Pennsylvania.
The PGCB labeled its Public Service Announcement (PSA) “Don’t Gamble With Kids” stating that it is efficient as local gaming venues are witnessing a drop in the number of children abandoned on their premises.
Pennsylvania was second after Nevada in the country’s leading gaming states in 2022. The PGCB’s gaming report shows that its online gaming sites, online and retail bookmakers, 17 land-based casinos, online fantasy sports tournaments, and video gaming truck stops generated over $5.2 billion.
The Keystone State’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) exceeded New Jersey’s revenue several years after it expanded its gaming industry. Then Governor Tom Wolf(D) signed the 2017 gaming law allowing specific airport gaming lounges, fantasy sports, and truck stops to offer online casino games, video gaming terminals (VGTs), and sports gambling.
The new law legalized land-based mini-casinos in Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, most airport’s gaming lounges haven’t started offering sports bets and online games.
The Unattended Children Social Problem
The state’s gaming sector is growing slowly, as only four land-based casinos have launched since 2017. But, bookmakers and online casinos have attracted millions of players. Yet, regulated VGTs resembling slot machines have increased of late.
Increased gaming often contributes to a rise in the number of children abandoned in their parents’ or guardians’ vehicles as they wager in casinos. This made the PGCB speed up forming a PSA to address the social concern.
The PGCB started the public safety campaign in November 2022. It included a website, printed content in casinos, social media videos and posts, and public service announcements on TV.
Even so, the Gaming Control Board’s Bureau of Casino Compliance stated last year that 486 children were left unattended in 303 incidents outside casinos as adults played inside. Out of these, 76 kids were below seven years old.
The state’s gaming officials stated that the PSA has greatly reduced unattended children’s incidents outside gaming properties. The PGCB revealed that the incidences dropped by 58 percent between January and June 2023 compared to 1H 2022.
Its latest report states that the board and casinos’ efforts to curb the habit are bearing fruit. Still, the PGCB will continue drawing attention to it through the media until all players become responsible. The Gaming Control Board revealed in September that its data points placed four additional adults on Pennsylvania’s permanent Involuntary Exclusion List after they decided to abandon children in their cars as they wagered.
How Has the PGCB Made This Improvement?
The PGCB released the 2022-2023 Diversity Report highlighting how Pennsylvania has increased various groups’ representation in its gaming sector. The report indicated that 41 percent of casino workers and 42 percent of the staff were female by June 30, 2023. Still, 27 percent of racial minority members and 36 percent of the female workers held executive positions.
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