Watch out for downside of gambling

It wasn’t all that long ago that Pennsylvania residents had few options for gambling without leaving the state. For generations the only options were playing the lottery, betting on horse racing and small games of chance such as bingo.

Those who wanted to play slot machines or table games had to make their way to Atlantic City, N.J., a considerable distance for Pennsylvanians outside the immediate Philadelphia area.

Then in 2006 Pennsylvania got its first casinos. Initially they only contained slot machines, but in 2010 table games were added.

The number of places to gamble legally keeps growing. The state is allowing mini casinos, including one in the works in Morgantown. Legislation passed in 2017 allows gambling devices at truck stops and airports. Sports betting is legal in Pennsylvania.

And if all of that weren’t enough, the state allows online gaming options that enable people to place bets using the phone in their pocket.

The good news is that gambling brings in $1.5 billion a year in revenue for the state along with money to offset property tax bills, though not nearly as much as residents had been led to expect when casinos were first approved in Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration.

We’ve long had reservations about Pennsylvania’s use of gambling expansion as a way around making difficult decisions concerning government spending and taxation.

We recognize that gambling is helping the state balance its budget and that casinos can serve as an economic development opportunity. But we can’t help but wonder what the cost is going to be in terms of impact on people.

For many people, gambling is a benign form of recreation. As long as people can afford it and know when to stop playing, it’s fairly harmless. But some people get in over their heads yet still struggle to stop.

With this in mind, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is recognizing March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

As part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of problem and compulsive gambling, it has launched a website -- www.responsibleplay. pa.gov -- that provides information on how to recognize the warning signs of a gambling problem and to find treatment options in Pennsylvania. Information on problem gambling treatment and other resources also is available at 1-800-GAMBLER (426-2537).

“Gambling addiction is real, is preventable and is treatable, and the PGCB and its partners want all Pennsylvania citizens who face the perils of problem gambling to know that treatment is available and effective,” Elizabeth Lanza, Director of the PGCB’s Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling, said in an announcement of the month’s observance.

Staff with the PGCB’s Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling along with the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Pennsylvania Lottery and the Council on Compulsive and Problem Gambling have been working to promote the observance.

We’re glad to see that state officials recognize that there are added dangers associated with expanded gambling.

Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin F. O’Toole noted that the Legislature was wise to increase gambling treatment and prevention dollars to ensure the new types of legalized gambling contribute to the Compulsive and Problem Gambling Treatment Fund.

“Our agency has made outreach for individuals with gambling disorders a priority since the opening of the first casinos in Pennsylvania over 13 years ago,” O’Toole said. “As new forms of gaming were rolled out over the past year, the PGCB made sure that new tools and resources, including online self-imposed limits and responsible gambling pages are available through each iGaming site to assist individuals in gambling responsibly.”

There’s no undoing the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania. But we support any efforts to mitigate the impact. We urge readers who enjoy gaming to do so responsibly, and to take note of any warning signs loved ones may display. Remember the resources that are available.

No one here is out to ruin anyone’s good time. But without good sense, that good time can turn bad very quickly.