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Posted on: March 12, 2026, 12:13h.
Last updated on: March 12, 2026, 12:13h.
- “What’s Really at Stake?” is a campaign in Pennsylvania to curb underage gambling
- The PSA comes from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
- March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month
Gambling in Pennsylvania is more prevalent than ever before, with player losses reaching almost $6.8 billion in 2025. With constant ads for sports betting and casinos continuing to expand across the commonwealth, the state agency tasked with regulating the growing market is taking preemptive action to limit underage access and associated harms.
This week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) debuted a new campaign called “What’s Really at Stake?” The initiative has the tagline, “Underage gambling will cost you.”
The PGCB says the campaign will utilize social media posts, online ads, and a dedicated website (WhatsReallyatStake.com) to heighten awareness of the problematic issue of underage gambling.
The legalized gambling the PGCB regulates, and in particular online gambling, is intended for those 21 years and older. The licensed operators in Pennsylvania have various tools within their systems to deny gambling privileges to those underage, but the proliferation of easily accessible illegal and unregulated sites that do not carry those protections to block underagers is a substantial reason in creating this negative situation,” said Kevin O’Toole, the chair of the PGCB.
O’Toole is referencing offshore casino websites that are illegal and unregulated. Pennsylvanians also largely still have access to controversial sweepstakes casinos that claim to be social gaming, but their inclusion of a dual-currency arrangement has been criticized to constitute illegal online gambling.
Pennsylvania additionally has a problem with unregulated skill games, which are marketed as 18+. Unlike casinos, skill game locations, such as restaurants, grocery stores, and corner stores, don’t have adequate security to ensure that a person too young to play doesn’t access the terminals.
Underage Play Poses Many Risks
Responsible gaming experts have long warned that allowing an underage person to gamble poses numerous risks.
Josh Ercole, the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of PA, is supporting the PGCB’s “What’s Really at Stake?” campaign. In December, Ercole testified before the state’s House Gaming Oversight Committee that online prediction markets, which are 18+ and facilitate the trading of shares involving sports event outcomes, have led to a severe increase in the number of calls to the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline from 18 to 24-year-olds.
“In recent years, calls to the helpline regarding young individuals in Pennsylvania have increased,” Ercole said in the PGCB release. “With so much access and availability, especially in unregulated forms of gambling, it is critical to have open discussions about risks and potential harms. It is also important to understand that while underage individuals playing games like these may seem innocent, early exposure and participation can lead to future problems.”
March marks the National Council on Problem Gambling’s annual Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The national nonprofit reports that nearly two-thirds of adults aged 21 and up (65%) participate in at least one form of gambling before turning 21.
“Youth are at significantly greater risk for developing gambling problems, and as gambling becomes increasingly normalized in media, sports, and online spaces, the risks grow,” said Heather Maurer, the executive director of NCPG. “Prevention and education are essential to ensure young people, families, educators, and policymakers understand the potential harms and are protected from early exposure.”
Lottery Irony
While the consensus among mental health experts and responsible gaming advocates is that teenagers shouldn’t be exposed to gambling until at least 21, it’s a tad ironic that the Pennsylvania Lottery and most other state-run lotteries are 18+.
The age of 18 has long been the threshold for the definition of an adult, but since casinos often include alcohol, the minimum liquor age has taken precedence. New forms of casino gambling, like sports betting, have subsequently adopted the 21+ rule.
