Pennsylvania looks at upswing in gambling participation in new study

Pennsylvania has been one of the earliest adopters of both online gambling and land-based casinos. The Keystone State introduced online gambling in 2019 and has been reaping the benefits of both physical and Internet gambling, as attested by a new study titled "Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report 2023" and conducted by Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center at the behest of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP).

Yet an increase in participation has also helped researchers garner keener insight into what the main triggers of problematic gambling experiences and compulsive gambling are, as the study also took a hard look at the behavior of offline and online gamblers, as well as those who used both media to gamble.

The research, authored by four professors and researchers, interviewed 1,800 residents, looking for insight into their gambling habits and how the introduction of online gambling has impacted the overall state of the gambling industry in the Keystone State. Among the findings was an increase to 16% in online gambling participation throughout 2023, with a similar figure, 11% online gambling participation, posted for both 2021 and 2022.

Online gambling revenue also hit $2.1bn in 2023, a 27% increase from 2022. Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, one of the four authors listed in the paper, said that the study was used to also better assess the way increased spending and participation impacted families, communities, and residents in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Sterner similarly noted that the researchers were also keen to find and identify markers of harm that can be associated with online gambling, or higher incidence of problem gambling because of online gambling. The research did indeed muster some interesting figures about the behaviors of gamblers.

Specifically, the study looked into players who gambled both online and offline, and who spent 15 hours per month gambling. This figure dropped significantly for offline-only gamblers, who spent only 1.5 hours a month gambling. By the same token, gamblers who played both online and offline spent $708 compared to only $103 for those who stuck to offline options instead.

The average age of a person who participated in both offline and online gambling was 37, with earnings of below $50,000annually, usually holding a bachelor’s degree and employed.

DDAP Secretary Latika Davis-Jones also highlighted the significance of this survey as it is a way for the program to assess how gambling habits and behaviors could lead to compulsive gambling, and how this can be best addressed. Another highlight of the survey was in addressing the incidence of problem gambling, associated mostly with online gamblers.

The survey advised that efforts to raise awareness for responsible gambling should thus be focused on using digital channels. According to the survey, 50.7% of gamblers who played both online and offline had at least one problem gambling indicator based on the Brief Problem Gambling Screen. This number was only 16.4% for those who only played offline, and it was surprisingly 40.7% for players who played online only.

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