Pennsylvania’s voluntary gambling self-exclusion enrolments rose 18% in fiscal year 2025-26, extending a multi-year climb in voluntary exclusions.
CDC Gaming reported that the board’s annual-report coverage described the warning signs of a dramatic rise in gambling addiction as showing no sign of abating. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s 20th annual report covers a market that generated a record $7.05 billion in revenue and $3.1 billion in tax and fee revenue during the fiscal year.
The latest annual count was 10,384 self-exclusions in 2026, up from 8,867 in 2025 and 7,487 in 2024, according to GamblingNews. Registrations rose sharply in 2022, when 4,242 people enrolled, compared with 2,873 the previous year. More than 30,000 people are now enrolled in at least one state self-exclusion programme.
The figures refer to voluntary participation in programmes that allow people to bar themselves from specified legal gambling activities for a selected period. Pennsylvania operates “separate programmes for casinos and sports betting”:https://deadspin.com/legal-betting/pennsylvania-gambling-self-exclusions-rise-as-revenue-tops-7b/; operators must prevent listed people from wagering and cannot market to them.
The annual rise has continued since Pennsylvania’s first online casino opened in 2019. The state now has 22 online casino-type gaming sites and 11 online sports-wagering sites, alongside 18 land-based casinos, 17 retail sports-wagering locations, 72 truck-stop video-gaming-terminal establishments and seven online fantasy-sports sites.
As covered in July, a bipartisan state commission had already urged faster online-gambling reforms, including stronger self-limits and tighter advertising rules. Lawmakers have since considered further responsible-gambling measures for online gambling and sports betting, while Senator Wayne Fontana has called for a ban on credit-card use at online casinos.
The board said it uses social media, websites and its “Behind the Bets in PA” podcast to raise awareness of problem gambling. Pennsylvania’s 1-800-GAMBLER helpline is available around the clock, and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has said it plans to add case-management support to gambling services.
