PGCB Fines Two Operators and Bans Players
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has issued $100,350 in fines to two land-based casino operators for breaching some of its regulations.
Following an investigation into the activities of Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino, and TCS John Huxley, the PGCB found that the two businesses had violated different aspects of its rules guiding casino gambling in Pennsylvania.
While Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association failed to meet security staffing requirements, TCS John Huxley didn't file principal licensing applications in accordance with state law.
Following negotiations between the PGCB's Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) and each operator, Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association agreed to pay a fine of $78,000 while TCS John Huxley's America and Europe brands will jointly pay a fine of $22,350.
The PGCB has also approved OEC's request to ban five adults from all casinos in the state for leaving children unattended to gamble.
The regulator placed a male and female customer on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving five children aged 2, 4, 5, 11, and 13 unattended in a vehicle in the Presque Isle Downs Casino & Racetrack parking lot for 35 minutes while they gambled.
In addition, a male player was banned for a similar reason after he left a 10-year-old unattended in a vehicle for five minutes while he gambled at the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. The car was parked along a construction fence outside the casino's valet area.
Lastly, a female patron received a ban after leaving two children aged 8 and 9 in a vehicle in the Mohegan Pennsylvania parking lot for 45 minutes while playing slot machines inside the casino.
Pennsylvania; Home of Unattended Child Offenders?
The habit of gamblers leaving their children or wards unattended in their vehicles outside land-based gambling establishments has increasingly become a menace in Pennsylvania.
Last November, the PGCB launched a public service campaign called "Don't Gamble with Kids" to warn gamblers about the risks and possible criminal consequences associated with leaving a child unattended in a vehicle outside a casino.
However, this campaign has only done little to address the problem, as several gamblers in Pennsylvania still leave their children in their vehicles while they gamble, even with the convictions by the PGCB.
According to the PGCB, there were 303 incidences of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos in 2022. The incidences involved 486 minors. From these cases, 34 people were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List.
In January 2023, the regulator added a new set of unattended child offenders to the "black book."
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