Pennsylvania Commissions Gambling Support App

Posted on: April 21, 2026, 02:46h. 

Last updated on: April 21, 2026, 02:46h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Pennsylvania has commissioned a mobile app for problem gamblers
  • The forthcoming app will provide 24/7 confidential support for those seeking help
  • Pennsylvania is among the richest gaming states in the country

Seeking to minimize gambling harms, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is funding a first-of-its-kind statewide digital app for gambling support through a partnership with Almond Digital Health.

Pennsylvania gambling problem app Almond Digital Health
A man drinks coffee while playing a casino slot machine online. Pennsylvania is funding the implementation of a new app that will provide support to problem gamblers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (Image: Shutterstock)

Almond Digital Health focuses on digital tools related to health, with an emphasis on addressing gambling problems.

Based in Clarks Green, a borough in Lackawanna County, Almond is teaming up with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to roll out a statewide app that’s easily accessible to gamblers in the commonwealth.

“This is about scale and access,” said Kath Middleton, chief product officer of Almond Digital Health. “Pennsylvania is building an approach that works both within and outside traditional care settings.”

A communications manager told Casino.org the initiative is being funded through a grant from the Pennsylvania DHS. Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania last year reached a record $6.79 billion. 

Complementary Support Program

State Reps. Joe McAndrew (D-Allegheny) and Jim Prokopiak (D-Bucks) have long advocated for the commonwealth to revisit the distribution of problem gambling dollars to mirror the environment in which more people are gambling from their phones and computers. They welcomed the DHS funding for a gambling resources app.

“This will expand access and strengthen the commonwealth’s ability to reach people earlier to promote responsible gambling habits and prevent addiction through education,” said McAndrew (D-Allegheny). “This initiative modernizes how Pennsylvanians can engage with support.”

Prokopiak added that “gaming has changed drastically” over the past two decades.

We’re going to address an evolved issue with an evolved solution.” Prokopiak said.

The Almond Digital Health app will be tailored to Pennsylvania’s gaming market, one of the richest in the nation with 17 brick-and-mortar casinos, retail and online sports betting, iGaming, video lottery terminals, and fantasy sports. Almond Digital Health QR codes will be present in casinos and online in various capacities.

Almond Digital Health is free, takes only 30 seconds to sign up, and is confidential. The Almond app will complement, not replace, the many other problem gambling services within Pennsylvania, including the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s self-exclusion programs and the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline.  

Digital Gaming Presents New Concerns

Instances of problem gambling in Pennsylvania have been exacerbated by controversial online prediction markets. According to Josh Ercole, the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, for the first time ever, the 18- to 24-year-old demographic is accounting for the most outreach calls to 1-800-GAMBLER.

In January, researchers at Penn State University added that people are gambling online at record rates. Roughly 30% of Pennsylvania adults now engage in some form of online gambling, the survey reported.

The Penn State annual gaming assessment concluded that between 2.5% and 6.4% of all adults in the commonwealth are problem gamblers.