宾夕法尼亚州的哈里斯堡. — Interactive gaming, or online gambling, became legal in 宾西法尼亚 in 2017. In the first assessment of how this policy change is impacting 宾西法尼亚ns, a 最近发布的报告 易胜博的研究人员和 Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) found that approximately 1 in 10 宾西法尼亚ns engage in interactive gaming.
The 宾西法尼亚 statute legalizing Interactive gaming, also referred to as online gambling or iGaming, stipulates that DDAP must complete an annual assessment in the Commonwealth. DDAP partnered with a team of Penn State researchers and helped complete the assessment. The report will assist DDAP in fulfilling its mission to assess and address how gambling behaviors impact compulsive and problem gambling within the commonwealth.
The findings of this report were generated from a survey of more than 1,100 individuals across 宾西法尼亚 throughout 2020-21 and indicate:
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Approximately 1 in 10 宾西法尼亚ns engage in interactive gaming.
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Men are more likely than women to partake in online gambling.
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The most popular interactive gaming is sports betting, and nearly half of all who participate in interactive gaming are engaged in sports betting.
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Individuals spend almost 6 hours per week engaging in interactive gaming.
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Nearly half of all those who engage in interactive gaming exhibit at least one problem gambling behavior.
“易胜博和 刑事司法研究中心 is enthusiastic about this partnership with DDAP and the 宾西法尼亚 Gaming Control Board (PCCB),” 格伦多, lead researcher on the assessment, assistant professor of criminal justice, and 社会科学研究所 共同资助教员.
另外, the assessment revealed key insights into the demographics of 宾西法尼亚ns engaging in interactive gaming, 据研究人员称. 整体, 白色, middle-aged men who live in metropolitan areas are more likely to participate in some form of online gaming. They spend about six hours in a typical week engaged in online gaming, 平均每周花费219美元赌博. The most popular type of gaming is sports betting followed by table games like roulette, 百家乐和21点, 其次是梦幻体育博彩.
然而, problem gambling remains a concern for this population because of the private nature of the location; it may be more difficult to identify a need for intervention. Only 2% of those engaged in interactive gaming have ever contacted 1-800-GAMBLER, 宾西法尼亚’s helpline for compulsive and problem gambling. Almost 30% of individuals indicated that they attempted to cut down, 最近一年内控制或停止赌博, while almost 23% gambled longer with more money or more frequently than intended in the last 12 months. 有了这些信息, the team in partnership with DDAP will be able to better monitor problem gaming behaviors among this population as the commonwealth continues to better understand the implications of legalizing interactive gaming.
“We believe that by collecting this information on a yearly basis, we will be able to obtain a more accurate picture of the impact of this policy change on 宾西法尼亚 communities. 如果干预是必要的, this evaluation will aid in the development of a data-driven response,斯特纳指出.
For more information about gambling, 包括 compulsive and problem gambling, WPSU released a 圆桌会议部分 featuring Sterner, Amy Hubbard from DDAP, and Eric Pearson from Copper Star Gaming.
该项目的其他研究人员包括 米凯尔Ahlgren, assistant teaching professor of hospitality management and director of gaming initiatives; 米兰达·凯耶, associate research professor and director of the 社会科学研究所’s 调查研究中心; and Raeven钱德勒, assistant research professor in rural sociology and director of the 宾西法尼亚 Population Network. 除了, this assessment was supported by several other key faculty, 研究人员和工作人员, 包括 约书亚罗桑伯格，戴安娜·克罗姆，麦迪逊·米勒和 丹尼斯生气.
