The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has released its Compulsive and Problem Gambling Annual Report for 2023. The report covers the period between July 2022 and June 2023.
During the fiscal year, nearly $8.3m was transferred to the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund (CPGT). The state requires that funds are transferred to the CPGT every year.
Collected funds are used to “maintain ongoing gambling prevention and treatment services.”
According to the recent report, close to 48% of the total funds collected during the year went to address problem gambling needs assessments, as well as to fund prevention, outreach and education programs.
Another 17% was given to gambling treatment providers that offer outpatient gambling counseling to Pennsylvania residents. Problem gambling helpline services received part of the remaining 35%, which was set aside for administration, program oversight and various training opportunities.
The state’s helpline reported an increase in calls related to problem gambling treatment resources. During the fiscal year, the helpline took 2,834 calls, nearly 400 call more than it did during the previous year.
Contact through the chat line also increased, according to the report. In 2023, the chatline received 471 intake communications, 262 more than it had last year.
The report said, “Calls, chats, and texts to the helpline come from the counties across the Commonwealth with the highest numbers from Philadelphia and Allegheny counties. The most callers were white men calling for themselves.
“The most frequently reported precipitating problem was financial hardship due to gambling (68%) and the most frequently identified type of problematic gambling was internet (30%).”
