LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky College of Social Work’s (CoSW) Dr. Glenn Sterner has released a new report on online gambling prevalence in Pennsylvania, the 2025 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report.
This assessment was in collaboration with Penn State’s Criminal Justic Research Center and developed under contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP).
With Sterner serving as the study’s lead researcher, the research team surveyed more than 3,500 Pennsylvania residents using two sampling methods. The findings revealed that up to 30% of Pennsylvania adults reported engaging in some form of online gambling in the past year, an increase from the 20% reported in the 2024 study.
“This year we expanded our survey to include the prevalence of compulsive and problem gambling among Pennsylvania residents,” said Sterner, CoSW associate professor of criminal justice. “This expansion of the assessment will help us to monitor this important public health indicator so that we can work with partners at the state to local level on addressing issues associated with the growing popularity of online gambling.”
The report also cites data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which recorded more than $3 billion in iGaming revenue, generated by state-regulated interactive gaming operators such as online casinos and sports betting platforms. This growth coincides with an increase in calls to the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline, with more than half of all calls related to concerns about problematic online gambling.
Sterner, who joined the College in August of 2025, is committed to community-based research and engagement, leading projects that span substance use, human trafficking, gambling, and public safety.
Other researchers who contributed to the report are Gillian E. H. Russell, assistant research professor, Penn State Abington; and Amanda M. Ferrara, operations manager at Penn State Social Science Research Institute’s Survey Research Center.
Funding for the report was made available through Pennsylvania Act 42, utilizing revenues generated from interactive gaming licensees.
