PRESS RELEASE
HARRISBURG: State Police Commissioner Jeffrey B. Miller today issued the following statement on background investigations conducted by State Police for people appointed to the state’s Gaming Control Board:
“The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act requires State Police to conduct background investigations of those appointed to the Gaming Control Board and to provide reports of those investigations to the appointing authority.
“The Pennsylvania Right to Know Act specifically states that the term ‘public records’ does not include ‘any report, communication or other paper, the publication of which would disclose the institution, progress or result of an investigation undertaken by an agency in the performance of its official duties.’
“It is the position of State Police and the Office of General Counsel that State Police background investigations are confidential and not public records.”
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 generated $2.8 billion in tax revenue and fees in 2024/25.
Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov.