P4A VGT Lottery Impacts (PDF)

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Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Inc.
525 South 29th Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17104
Phone: (717) 541-4214 • Fax: (717) 541-4217

For Immediate Release:

Contact:

Rebecca May-Cole
717-541-4214
rebecca@p4a.org

June 21, 2016
Agencies that Serve Pennsylvania Seniors Concerned by Projected Impacts of
Video Gaming Terminals on Lottery Sales, Funding for Seniors Programs
HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, an
organization representing the state’s 52 community service agencies for older adults,
expressed concern today regarding the impact that the legalization of Video Gaming
Terminals (VGTs) at bars and taverns would have on funding for programs benefitting
Pennsylvania’s seniors. A report released Friday by the Pennsylvania Department of
Revenue projected that legalization of VGTs in Pennsylvania will result in a $923 million to
$2.3 billion decrease in PA Lottery sales over the next ten years.
“One of the major intents of the Pennsylvania Lottery is to provide support to
Pennsylvania seniors to enable them to stay in their homes and local communities as long
as possible,” said Holly Lange, President of the Board of Directors and President and CEO
of Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. “Many seniors depend on Lottery-funded programs
to remain in their own homes. If VGTs have the negative impact on Lottery sales that the
Department of Revenue projects, we won’t be able to meet the demand for these services
and many seniors would be prematurely admitted into institutional care.”
“We understand that the state is facing a difficult budget situation and legislators are
looking for new revenue sources,” said Krista Geer, Vice President of the Board of
Directors and Executive Director of Active Aging, Crawford County’s Area Agency on
Aging. “But if the Department of Revenue’s projections are accurate, the legalization of
VGTs will have far reaching and unintended consequences on the funding of programs
that benefit Pennsylvania’s seniors. Right now there are over 4,000 seniors on the
waiting list for Lottery-funded services. We urge legislators to consider the impact that
VGTs will have on the Pennsylvania Lottery and seniors across the Commonwealth.”
Governed by the Older Americans Act of 1965 (reauthorized in 2011) and the
Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the state’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging provide
information and services to help seniors remain independent in the community for as long
as possible. Every year, the Lottery Fund helps thousands of seniors that are not eligible
for Medicaid receive meals, transportation, prescriptions through the PACE program, home
care, and other community based services that help keep seniors out of institutional care.
Revenues from the lottery also help fund senior centers which provide social connections
for isolated seniors, congregate meals, and other important health benefits and funds
property tax/rent rebates. Such community-based services help seniors age at home, in
the community and avoid more expensive institutional care.
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Advocating for Pennsylvania’s Senior Network
www.p4a.org