The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“PGCB”) has released the 18^th edition of its Annual Report.

The PGCB’s 2023-2024 Annual Report provides detail on the work of the agency in regulating the Commonwealth’s gaming industry, and also includes:

• individual revenue figures during another record-setting fiscal year for slot machines, table games, sports wagering, internet gaming, fantasy sports contests and video gaming terminals at eligible truck stops;
• a year in review report with pertinent statistical figures from the PGCB’s key bureaus;
• information on the PGCB’s efforts to stop adults from gambling while leaving minors unattended; and,
• a section on problem gambling and the PGCB’s Self-Exclusion Program.

The PGCB was established in 2004 through the passage of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Since then, it has become one of the pre-eminent gaming regulators in the world overseeing all aspects of gambling in the Commonwealth. Currently, the number of outlets for the various types of gaming regulated by the PGCB are:

• 17 land-based casinos;
• 18 retail sports wagering locations;
• 12 online sports wagering sites;
• 22 sites for online casino-type games (slot machines, table games, poker);
• 74 truck stop establishments with Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs); and,
• 9 online fantasy sports contest sites.

In addition to supporting nearly 16,000 jobs at casinos, overall gaming revenue reached a record high during the fiscal year generating $5.89 billion and resulting in $2.54 billion in tax revenue.

The 2023-2024 Annual Report can be downloaded as a PDF document by choosing Organization Reports under the About PGCB tab on the agency’s website.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) will hold a hearing on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 to take public comment on the renewal of the Category 1 Slot Machine Operator License for Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association LLC, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County. The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be held at the East Hanover Township Building, 8848 Jonestown Road, Grantville, PA 17028.

Citizens, public officials, and community groups can choose to speak or submit written testimony. The hearing is open to the public.

Individuals who wish to provide in-person or written testimony should visit the Board’s website, gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, and choose the special link on the homepage in the “PGCB Meetings” section for more information and registration. Persons wishing to provide comments will need to register ahead of time. The deadline for registration to speak or submit written testimony is noon on Monday, August 26.

A listing of all government officials, community groups, and individuals who have registered to speak at this hearing will be posted on the Board’s website beginning the week prior to the hearing and updated daily.

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Written comments can be submitted directly through the Board’s website.

Pursuant to Section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses are subject to periodic renewal. The renewal application must include an update of the information since its last renewal.

To implement the renewal requirement, the Board utilizes a two-step process:

First, a public input hearing is held in the municipality where the casino operates before the Director of the Board’s Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record which the Board will use in its licensing decision. The hearing record, along with a report from the Director of Hearings and Appeals, will be transmitted to the Board.

The second step is to hold a separate public hearing in Harrisburg at a later date where representatives of the casino licensee will offer evidence and oral arguments. At that time, the Board members can ask additional questions.

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The burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of a gaming license. During the hearing, the renewal applicant will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; as well as provide evidence on tax revenue generated; jobs created; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding communities.

Following this proceeding, the Board will ultimately determine whether the licensee remains eligible and suitable consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth, and is otherwise qualified to have the license renewed for a five-year period.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) on Wednesday approved recommendations by its Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) for the placement of seven individuals on the iGaming Involuntary Exclusion List.

The online transactions that these seven individuals engaged in, totaling $27,168, were investigated by the Board’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement (BIE) and found to be fraudulent in two major respects:

• an individual used a fraudulent scheme to obtain an online account or accounts in another person’s name and identifiers, placed funds into these accounts utilizing other persons’ payment methods, and without engaging in any gaming activity, managed to have funds withdrawn from the fraudulently-established account or accounts directly into their own bank account; or,
• requested and received a refund for a disputed credit or debit card transaction from a card issuer even though that refund was fraudulent.

The specific fraudulent conduct of each individual is further described below:

• Created two separate online sports wagering accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $300;
• Created 13 separate online casino-type games accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $545;
• Created six separate online sports wagering accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1000;
• Created four separate online sports wagering accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1123;
• Created two separate online sports wagering accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1500;
• Illegally requested and received six chargebacks to a credit card associated with an online casino-type games account totaling $10,100;
• Created one online sports wagering account using the personal identification and credit card of another individual, and withdrew $12,600.

The Board’s actions in these matters stem from its commitment to keep individuals who have committed fraud from gaming online in Pennsylvania. The additions made bring to 37 the total number of individuals who are currently on the iGaming Involuntary Exclusion List.

The Board also placed four other individuals on its Casino Involuntary Exclusion List. The number of individuals currently on that list totals 1197 and stems from various reasons including theft, cheating, child endangerment disorderly conduct, and using counterfeit currency.