The Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment shows that online gamblers in the state have a preference for higher-frequency play than retail-only players. Most forms of online gambling are legal in the Keystone state, including online casinos, sports betting, iLottery, and daily fantasy sports.
The study was prepared by Pennsylvania State University, who issued a responsible gambling warning to young bettors prior to the Super Bowl last week. The three people responsible for the report include:
- Glenn E. Sterner III: Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn State Abington
- Gillian E. H. Russell: Assistant Research Professor, Penn State Abington
- Amanda M. Ferrara: Research Operations Manager of the Social Science Research Institute’s Survey Research Center at The Pennsylvania State University
Among the report’s other findings, the data shows that online players have, on average, more gambling sessions each month than those who stick to gambling in person. They also exhibit a stronger preference for faster products, like slots over table games, and instant lottery products over draws and raffles.
Online gamblers wager more frequently than offline players
Penn State collected data from 1,400 Pennsylvania residents over the phone and clearly showed that online gambling has increased rapidly in the Keystone State. About 20% of Pennsylvanians gambled online last year, which is up from 16% in 2023.
The report said that exclusively online gamblers (EONGs) gambled about 2-3 times per month, significantly more often than exclusively offline gamblers (EOFGs). Also, ENOGs spent approximately five hours a month gambling. EOFGs only gambled around once a month for roughly two hours a month. ENOGs spend $20 a month compared to EOFGs’ $10 a month.
Mix-mode gamblers (MMGs) are those who have gambled on at least one online format and one offline format over the past year. Participants that category gambled the most at once per week.
For a easier breakdown, here are the habits from each type of gambler:
- Offline only: once a month month
- Online only: two to three times a month
- Hybrid: weekly
The report revealed that those who gambled in a hybrid format had more of a chance to develop a gambling problem than those who just gambled online.
How gamblers mix in the lottery
The various types of gamblers had an interesting relationship with the lottery, too. More MMGs engaged in instant lottery than both EOFGs and EONGs.
According to a graph provided by the report, MMGs and offline gamblers participated in instant lottery games at a 42.4% rate compared to a 5.5% rate for online gamblers. However, offline gamblers played lottery and raffle games at a 48.7% clip, which is even more than those who play instant games. Only 4% of online gamblers played lottery and raffle games last year.
Online players gravitate slightly more towards instant games, beating out lottery/raffle by 5.5% to 4%, respectively.
