PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG: Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) Chairman David M. Barasch announced today his retirement from public service which includes almost six years in the leadership position of the agency board.

Appointed to a three-year term on the Board as Chair by Governor Tom Wolf on October 8, 2015, Barash accepted a second three-year term in July 2018. All PGCB Commissioners are limited to a total of six years on the board.

Barasch’s decades-long career serving both state and federal government included Consumer Advocate for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Special Assistant to Governor Bob Casey, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

During his term as Chairman of the PGCB, Barasch helped guide a period of growth in the Commonwealth’s gaming industry second only to the initial period of licensing and opening of casinos in the mid- to late-2000’s. During his tenure as Chair, the legislature approved and placed under the PGCB’s regulatory watch internet gaming, sports wagering and truck stop video gaming terminals. From the 2018 launch of these new forms of legalized gaming, the revenue generated from these coupled with the established casino gaming market rose from $3.2 billion annually to an expected $4 billion in 2021.

“The Gaming Control board and the public benefitted from David Barasch’s deep experience and steady hand during the past six years,” says PGCB Executive Director Kevin O’Toole.  “At no time in the history of this agency were those qualities more important in a Board Chair than during the past year of unexpected and unprecedented disruptions to the gaming industry due to Covid-19. During that period under Chairman Barasch’s watch, the agency not only carried out its casino oversight responsibilities but continued its important work of assuring the new forms of gambling were successfully rolled out.”

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling at 14 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 one mini-casino (Category 4).  Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the anticipated openings of up to four additional Category 4 casinos. A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming annually generate over $1.5 billion in tax revenue.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/ . You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl .