Pennsylvania's problem gambling hotline calls soar in 2025

Driving the news: Pennsylvania's problem gambling hotline has received more than 2,700 calls through November, per data provided to Axios by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania.

• That's more than double the 2020 total — and tops the all-time record of 2,693 calls logged in 2023.

State of play: The rise mirrors a national surge tied to online casinos and sports betting, powered by aggressive marketing, state budget incentives and AI.

• More Pennsylvanians face financial ruin and emotional distress from online gambling, including young men like Izak who make up the majority of callers to the state's hotline.
• Online sportsbooks and casinos like FanDuel and BetMGM have spent at least $37 million on advertising in Philadelphia this year, outpacing markets such as New York and Las Vegas, per the Inquirer.

The big picture: Pennsylvania offers resources for compulsive gamblers, including a self-exclusion program.

• But Axios found the self-ban system largely relies on players to police themselves. At the same time, regulators are hesitant to revoke casinos' and online operators' licenses for repeatedly allowing self-excluded gamblers to play.

Context: Most gamblers calling the hotline cite struggles with online sports betting and online casino games like slots, blackjack and roulette.

• Many people call the hotline after reaching a breaking point marked by financial distress, marital strain or problems at work.
• They're connected with support groups like Gamblers Anonymous, as well as counseling and credit monitoring services.

Zoom in: Calls tend to peak around major sports events like the Super Bowl and March Madness, Josh Ercole, executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, tells Axios.

• The group has also seen spikes in late fall and early winter, when months of football betting losses mount for some gamblers.

What they're saying: "There's a dopamine drip that's propelling you into that next wager," Ercole tells Axios.

• "Folks getting in deeper, trying to win back early losses, or getting more wrapped up in Sundays being the day that I spend all this time and money doing this."

The other side: Pennsylvania collects billions in revenue from legalized gambling — money that helps fund economic development and gambling hotlines and treatment.

• Gambling proponents say the industry creates jobs and provides a regulated environment for gaming that would otherwise occur on offshore websites or under the table.

Stunning stats: Men — mostly ages 25–34 — account for more than two-thirds of Pennsylvania's hotline calls every year, while women have made up 31% of calls so far in 2025, up from 27% in 2020.

• Philadelphia and Allegheny counties accounted for a quarter of all hotline calls in October.
• Between 2020 and 2025, at least 42 residents between the ages of 13 and 17 sought help for problem gambling, per the data.

Izak, who asked to be identified only by his first name because of the stigma around gambling addiction, tells Axios his online blackjack losses snowballed quickly.

• After confiding in his parents, they connected him with a financial planner — but refused to pay off his debt.
• He's now making part-time food deliveries on top of working a full-time job to get back on track.

The bottom line: Izak knows he was lucky, but he wants others struggling with gambling addiction to know help is available.

• "I didn't really realize that I'd get sucked in as far as I did, as fast as I did," he says. "I'm always going to have to deal with the cravings. But I'm hoping my life looks fairly normal."