Bill O’Boyle: PA Gaming Control Board assisting individuals with a gambling disorder

Jul. 17—The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board this week announced it has launched a more user-friendly online system that enables individuals with a gambling disorder to self-exclude from participating in any gambling activity regulated by the Board.

The Self-Exclusion Program began in 2006 to permit individuals to ban themselves from entering and gambling at Pennsylvania casinos. The program was expanded after the passage in 2017 of the Gaming Expansion Act.

Three additional self-exclusion programs are now available for iGaming (including online sports wagering), Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at truck stops, and online Fantasy Sports.

While a person is self-excluded, gaming facilities and operators in the Commonwealth must refuse wagers from and deny any gaming privileges to that person. If an individual on a list is found to be participating in gaming activities in Pennsylvania, they may be charged with criminal trespass and any gambling winnings are confiscated.

Individuals who wish to enroll online for a self-exclusion program can now simply complete the enrollment online by going to — https://responsibleplay.pa.gov.

At that site, individuals can:

—Enroll in one, several, or all self-exclusion programs.

—Request removal from the casino self-exclusion program.

—Extend the period of their self-exclusion ban period.

—View their self-exclusion documents and status in real-time.

—Update their personal information (i.e. name change/address change).

—Access links to gambling disorder information and the helpline.

For identity verification purposes and to ensure confidentiality, individuals enrolling in a self-exclusion program must upload a "selfie" picture, a picture of their photo ID, and must receive Lexis Nexis verification during the enrollment process.

The Self-Exclusion programs are just one of the ways in which the Board's Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling ("OCPG") is making sure that gaming is fair and safe. The Director of the OCPG also ensures that the casinos and the online gaming operators have an approved compulsive and problem gambling plan.

Each plan details:

—The training of casino and online operator employees on the signs and symptoms of gambling disorder and responsible gaming programs.

—Policies and procedures on identifying those with potential harmful behavior and the identification and removal of underage, self-excluded, and excluded individuals who have engaged in gaming activities.

—Responsible advertising policies.

—The casino and online operator's participation in outreach programs.

Cartwright's bill would improve software

purchasing protocols advances in House

Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, to increase oversight of federal government software purchases and reduce wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars advanced in the House of Representatives this week.

The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act was the only Democrat-sponsored bill included in the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability's markup and was approved by a 39-0 roll call vote. It now moves forward to be debated by lawmakers on the House floor.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) led the companion legislation, which advanced out of Committee in May.

Cartwright said without increased agency oversight and governance, software vendors profit at the expense of American taxpayers.

Reintroduced earlier this year, The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act would require federal agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their current software assets and restructure their operations to reduce unnecessary costs.

"This critical legislation will allow agencies to make more informed choices when procuring software, saving millions of American taxpayer dollars in the long run,: Cartwright said.

Specifically, this new legislation would require:

—Federal agencies to provide an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software purchasing practices to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA).

—Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to develop a plan to adopt enterprise licensing agreements, improving negotiating power against software vendors, and reduce costs.

—The Comptroller General to report to Congress on the government-wide trends in agency software asset management practices as well as agency compliance of certain provisions.

Meuser introduces Protecting

U.S. Business Sovereignty Act

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week introduced legislation aimed at safeguarding American businesses and investors from ideological regulations being enacted in the European Union.

As its name suggested, the Protecting U.S. Business Sovereignty Act seeks to promote the sovereignty of U.S. companies by ensuring the American-based divisions of businesses are not subject to European rules or mandates.

Specifically, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study the specific effects of a legislative package from the European Commission — the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D).

The directive would require companies with any operations in the European Union to identify, disclose, and take steps to mitigate the "negative impact" of their activities on the environment, pollution, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss.

Compliance costs associated with such regulations could have a profound impact on American companies, consumers, investors, and the economy as a whole.

"The SEC and the European Union have no jurisdiction in dictating carbon emission standards on U.S. companies," Meuser said. "The U.S. is doing many things regarding fossil fuels, and in fact, we are the only industrialized country in the world to reduce carbon emissions in recent years. However, this bill isn't about climate change, it's about following the law and protecting the sovereignty of American businesses."

Meuser added, "The European Union should not have the authority to issue mandates on divisions of U.S. companies operating on American soil. The American-based operations of U.S. companies should be beholden to U.S. law and no other governing body."

State exceeds enrollment goal for

drug and alcohol treatment locator

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) this week announced the results of its latest open enrollment period for Treatment Atlas, a free, online resource to help Pennsylvanians confidentially find substance use disorder (SUD) treatment that meets their needs, exceeded the Department's goals.

Treatment Atlas allows individuals and their loved ones to find and compare inpatient, residential, outpatient, and intensive outpatient treatment facilities. Individuals can search using criteria such as location, use of best practices, types of treatment services, payment options, accepted insurers, specialty populations served, and patient experience.

Treatment Atlas also includes an assessment to understand the appropriate level of care that may be needed.

"This open enrollment period was designed to allow more treatment facilities licensed by DDAP to participate in this trusted resource," said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. "I'm pleased to announce that the results of this latest open enrollment period exceeded our expectations."

Currently, 81% of licensed treatment facilities in Pennsylvania have submitted information to be included in Treatment Atlas — the Department's goal was 80%.

Shapiro Administration announces

Veterans' Trust Fund grant awards

The Shapiro Administration this week announced that 12 Pennsylvania county Veterans Affairs Offices will receive $150,000 in grants, and 21 charitable or Veteran Service Organizations will receive $650,000 in grants from the Veterans' Trust Fund (VTF), administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

The VTF is funded by generous Pennsylvanians who voluntarily make a $3 donation when applying for or renewing their driver's license, photo ID, or a motor vehicle registration.

Additionally, the VTF receives proceeds from the sale of the Honoring Our Veterans and Honoring Our Women Veterans license plates and private donations. Since the grant program began in 2013, a total of $6,682,860 has been awarded to organizations that serve Pennsylvania veterans.

"Our veterans served our country and defended our freedoms — they have sacrificed for us and they deserve access to quality care and services when they come home," said Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Grantees slated to receive funding identified over $2 million in matching funds pledged toward grant-funded initiatives. Combined with the VTF grants, this will result in more than $2.8 million for veterans' initiatives in Pennsylvania over the next two years.

"Connecting Pennsylvania's more than 700,000 veterans to these programs is DMVA's top priority and we cannot do it alone," said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania's adjutant general and head of the DMVA.

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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.