Three Gambling Operators Slapped with Over $73K Fine by PGCB

As a result of the negotiation between the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) and the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC), three gambling enterprises were imposed a financial penalty exceeding $73K. Two casinos and a Video Gaming Terminal (VGT) were found in breach of a couple of rules, due to which they need to pay fines.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for November 15, 2023. This conference will take place in the Board’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.

Self-Exclusion Failure, Underage Gambling and More

As a result of consent agreements between the gambling enterprises in question, and the relevant institutions mentioned in the intro, the operators are required to pay $73,075.

To start with, Stadium Casino Westmoreland RE, LLC, operator of Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, needs to pay a total of $30,000 for allowing:

• Two self-excluded individuals to enter the gaming floor and gamble ($20,000); one of the women in question was removed from the premises five minutes after being spotted, while the other spent a total of 7 hours before getting noticed and asked to leave the establishment
• An individual under the minimum gambling age in the jurisdiction (21) to access the gaming floor and play slot machines

Furthermore, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc., was fined $25,000 for failing to provide the PGCB with ownership structure changes. This in particular involves five VGT Truck Stop Establishment locations.

Finally, Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., operator of Parx Casino in Bucks County, failed to submit two license renewal applications in a timely manner, due to which it needs to pay a fine of $18,075.

Multiple Financial Penalties

From the beginning of the current year, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has imposed numerous financial fines, for a variety of breaches. In March, Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was penalized for allowing a self-excluded individual to gamble.

Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania casino, and its iGaming partner Unibet Interactive, Inc. failed to suspend the interactive account of a person who’s previously used compulsive gambling tools, whereas Evolution US was slapped a fine for permitting an unlicensed employee to deal several games of Blackjack.

Four months later, in July Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania, and Holdings Acquisition, L.P., operator of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, needed to pay fines for allowing individuals under the age of 21 to gain access to the gaming floor. The former was even found in breach for providing underage consumers access to alcohol.

Also, Sugarhouse HSP Gaming, L.P., operator of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, paid a $7,500 fine for allowing an untrained employee to deal Roulette.

Involuntary Self-Exclusion for Leaving Minors Unattended

In recent months, multiple individuals were also penalized for gambling at casinos while leaving children unattended in a vehicle in a parking lot. The period ranges from a couple of minutes to more than 2 hours. Such persons are placed on the Involuntary Self-Exclusion list and subject to criminal prosecution for creating a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children.

Wort nothing is that the Board’s effort to reduce this problem under the awareness campaign “Don’t Gamble with Kids” pay off, as the number of incidents significantly decreased. For the sake of comparison, in the first seven months of 2022, the number of incidents was 197, but it reduced to 126 during the same period in 2023.

Source:

“PA Gaming Control Board Levies $73,075 In Fines”, gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, October 18, 2023.