Scranton could become first city to treat problem gambling as public health matter

Scranton, Pennsylvania, is interested in potentially becoming the first US city to trial treating problem gambling as a public health matter. Communities normally leave responsible gambling to state regulators and dedicated helplines. However, Ken Winters, CEO of Almond Digital Health, is pushing for a community-driven public health approach that involves educating young people about gambling. 

Winters held a community-wide meeting at Scranton City Hall to discuss his company's mission and the growing issue of problem gambling. 

As WVIA Radio reported, City Hall's governor's room was packed with representatives from the Scranton School District, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Friendship Hours, Geisinger, and Commonwealth Health.

Winters' message to the crowd was simple: treating problem gambling starts early.

"We've got to focus. Treatment and recovery are important conversations, but upstream early intervention, education, and prevention are just as important," he said. "And that's where we're lacking at the moment."

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who was among the meeting's attendees, echoed Winters' thoughts on early education on the subject.

"I think we know that it's an issue not just in Scranton but throughout the entire nation," she said. "It's really smart to start early, start looking at K-12, and even before that, parents, pediatricians, helping to spread awareness of what some of these early signs of addiction are, making sure that we have, importantly, resources for those that do need help."

Having worked in the public health industry for 20 years, Winters has witnessed gambling addiction grow over time. He's not an anti-gambling advocate but rather somebody who wants to increase awareness among players.

"This is also about how do we have awareness campaigns, general messaging on developing healthy gambling habits, education, upstream early intervention, prevention, treatment, recovery-that whole kind of public health ecosystem," he explained.

Winters and Almond Health have received funding from Pennsylvania to provide their responsible-gambling services to colleges, employers, and health plans. They aim to not only offer problem-gaming education to youth but also help the estimated 1–2% of adults who suffer from gambling addiction.

Scranton would be a fitting choice to become America's first city to treat problem gambling through a public health plan. After all, Pennsylvania reps and legislative efforts have recently pushed responsible gambling.

Last month, State Reps Jamie Flick (R-Lycoming/Union) and Tarik Khan (D-Phila) introduced a package of bills aimed at providing more protections for vulnerable players. It also included components aimed at keeping PA online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites from advertising anywhere near K-12 schools.

The state's iGaming market is coming off a record year after generating $2.78 billion in revenue in 2025, a 27.22% year-over-year increase. 

More Pennsylvanians are playing real money online slots, blackjack, roulette, and other games than ever before. And while this has proven good for the state's best online casinos, Khan and Flick are concerned over what it could mean for problem gamblers.

Their legislation includes restrictions on text marketing and push notifications and would eliminate credit-card deposits. State reps reconvene on September 9, 2026, to begin considering new bills.

Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET.

Jeremy Olson