Conscious Gaming's Playpause Service Launches With the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

(LAS VEGAS, NV & HARRISBURG, PA) - Conscious Gamingand the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board are jointly announcing the deployment tomorrow of “PlayPause”, an innovative self-exclusion tool for internet-based gambling created to modernize and strengthen the effectiveness of the U.S. gaming industry’s responsible gaming programs.

This is the first deployment of PlayPause in the United States with the solution being made available at no cost to operators and regulators via Conscious Gaming, a new non-profit organization established by GeoComply. 

The system is designed for regulators and licensed gaming operators in one state to securely identify self-excluded patrons who chose to participate in the program with other participating United States licensed gaming operators and regulators. 

Today’s announcement underscores Conscious Gaming’s and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s commitments to uniting the industry to achieve shared responsible gaming goals and protect consumers.

“Pennsylvania is pleased to be the first jurisdiction to join the PlayPause program,” says Elizabeth Lanza, Director of the Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. “By integrating with this solution, the industry and regulators can increase wellbeing efforts and advance the effectiveness of self-exclusion.”

Lanza says individuals who sign up for the Self-Exclusion program in Pennsylvania will be provided the option of participating in PlayPause to assist them in extending the self-exclusion to other jurisdictions as they deploy the tool.

“We are thrilled to see our vision for a national self-exclusion tool come to life with Pennsylvania’s PlayPause launch,” says Anna Sainsbury, Conscious Gaming Trustee and GeoComply Chairman and Co-Founder. “We are looking forward to further collaboration with industry stakeholders to expand coverage and impact for this solution.”

Powered by GeoComply, which provides the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board licensees with a geolocation service that effectively blocks participation in internet-based gaming when the player is not within the Commonwealth’s borders, the PlayPause solution will: 

●       Expand the protective self-exclusion bubble so that as players move from state to state, the protection that they have asked for can also move with them.  

●       Enable consumers to self-exclude across multiple states to prevent the incidence of simply crossing a state line and continuing to gamble. 

●       Empower operators to strengthen responsible gaming programs - and make more data-driven decisions - with greater insights into players that have already self-excluded in one state but need to be recognized and protected if/when they seek to play in another jurisdiction. 

●       Streamline the administrative burden and eliminate the silos associated with maintaining numerous separate state-operated self-exclusion databases. 

For more information on PlayPause, please visit: www.playpausegaming.com

For more information on Conscious Gaming, please visit: www.consciousgaming.org

For more information on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, please visit www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov  For more information on gambling disorder programs and Pennsylvania’s assistance, please visit the Board’s Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling’s website, www.responsibleplay.pa.gov

For more information regarding this press release, please contact Seth Palansky of Conscious Gaming at seth@consciousgaming.org , or Doug Harbach at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board at dharbach@pa.gov.

About Conscious Gaming 

Conscious Gaming is a philanthropic organization committed to utilizing advanced technology to propel social responsibility initiatives. Conscious Gaming’s mission is to leverage advanced technology and insights, to empower corporate social responsibility within our and our partners’ communities. We work with gaming operators, regulators, responsible gaming advocacy groups, academics and treatment professionals, to better protect consumers and enhance responsible gaming.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

 The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling legalized under 2004’s Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017. In addition to slot machine and table games gambling at land-based casinos, the expansion includes online casino games available to date on 12 sites; sports wagering offered through sportsbooks at 13 retail locations and through 11 online outlets; video gaming terminals (VGTs) offered as of this date at 40 qualified truck stops; and, fantasy sports contests through six providers. The mature land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania currently consists of six racetrack (Category 1) and four stand-alone (Category 2) casinos in, along with the two resort (Category 3) casinos and one mini-casino (Category 4).  These facilities collectively employ over 16,000 people and, along with other types of Board-regulated gaming, annually generate over $1.5 billion in tax revenue. An additional Category 2 casino is expected to open in the first quarter of 2021, while a number of Category 4 casinos are expected to begin operation over the next couple of years.