PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG: The start of the NFL football season always brings an increased amount of sports wagering by Pennsylvanians. With over 90% of the wagering being made through online platforms, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“Board”) is reminding the public to be cautious of placing bets on sites not licensed or regulated in Pennsylvania.  Player protections are required only through licensed operators that are subject to regulatory oversight.

To assist the public, the Board has placed a link on the home page of its website that provides a list of the sports wagering sites regulated by the Board and available to Pennsylvania bettors. The list can be accessed at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov with the link located in the “View Pennsylvania Gaming Operators” section. This section also allows the public to check on which Fantasy Contest, iGaming and Online Poker sites are also licensed and regulated by the Board.

Pennsylvania offers 12 regulated sites, all of which operate under strict regulation from the Board and also offer tools to prevent an individual from forming a possibly destructive problem gambling habit.

Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole says only the sites that have been vetted, licensed and regulated for play in Pennsylvania by the Board are required to provide essential tools that offer options that allow the bettors to moderate time and spend on the authorized sites.

“For a gambler to protect themselves, they should be very hesitant to use Illegal offshore sites,” O’Toole says. “Only on the Pennsylvania regulated sites can a bettor choose to utilize self-imposed limits to better control their wagering activities.”

“Legal, Board-regulated online sportsbooks must offer options for a player to control their gambling activity such as limiting the amount of time they can spend on a site, limiting the amount of money they can deposit, or provide a limit on the amount they wager.” O’Toole adds. “In addition, the Board’s approved operators offer ‘Cool-Off Periods’ that establish a short-term ban of days, weeks or months for the bettor who can limit their sports wagering activity.”

The Board also offers a Self-Exclusion Program in which an individual can self-ban and thereby be blocked from accessing all online betting sites regulated by the Board. Information on that program is available at responsibleplay.pa.gov.

Finally, in its mission to protect the gaming public, the Board offers a bettor the ability to go directly to the agency when they have a complaint or dispute against a Board licensed gaming operator. In turn, the Board investigates these complaints and disputes through a trained investigator. The Board, though, cannot offer this service if a bettor encounters a problem with an illegal offshore platform.