Pennsylvania lawmakers have launched the state’s first Problem Gambling Caucus, a bipartisan group that plans to examine the harms associated with readily available online betting and whether consumer safeguards have kept pace.
State Sen. Joe Picozzi and Rep. Ben Sanchez are leading the caucus, with Rep. Jamie Flick a founding member. Its initial agenda includes limiting young people’s exposure to gambling advertising, public education on the risks of casinos, sports betting and iGaming, and broader work on prevention, education and consumer protection.
No specific bills were announced. Picozzi said the group would pursue “commonsense solutions” across party lines and argued that laws and consumer protections must keep pace with sports betting and online casinos that are available “just a tap away.” He said it could take years to develop solutions, citing the 13-year gap between casino-gambling legalization and a requirement for operators to offer cooling-off periods.
The caucus has identified online access, advertising and sports betting as central concerns. Pennsylvania requires gamblers to be at least 21 to use online gambling services or casinos, although Focus Gaming News reported that some minors can attempt to evade age checks through VPNs, false identification or another person’s documents.
The initiative arrives as online gambling participation has increased. A Penn State assessment of more than 3,500 residents found that up to 30% of Pennsylvania adults had gambled online in the preceding year, compared with 20% in 2024. More than half of calls to the state’s 1-800-GAMBLER helpline concerned problematic online gambling, while more than 10% of adults had used websites or gambling formats not registered with the state.
Pennsylvania’s gaming market has continued to expand. Casino.org calculated that players lost $6.8 billion across casinos, iGaming, sports betting, video-gaming terminals and fantasy sports in 2025, including $2.7 billion at online casinos and $602.5 million on sports betting. Those totals exclude prediction markets. Separately, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported $7.05 billion in overall gaming revenue and $3.1 billion in tax revenue for fiscal year 2025-26.
The caucus will need to weigh those state revenues against the social costs cited by its members. Picozzi said that when people lose their life savings, “nobody wins,” because of the resulting social cost, while Flick described gambling access as something that “sits in your pocket.”
The launch also follows Pennsylvania’s wider examination of gambling safeguards. As reported in August, the Joint State Government Commission urged tougher player-data, self-exclusion and responsible-gambling measures for online gambling operators.
The current two-year legislative session is nearing its end, limiting time for new measures. The caucus is set to begin meetings when the General Assembly convenes its 2027 session in January.
