After a series of violations committed by the Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia in connection with sports wagering, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) imposed a fine of $100,000 on the casino operator Stadium Casino RE, LLC. The penalties came after the board accepted a consent agreement presented by its Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) during a public meeting.

Live! Casino Staff Fired and Fined for $287K in Illegal Proxy Bets

The offenses centered on several employees from Live! Casino Sportsbook accepting and placing 15 proxy bets amounting to $287,421 over an eight-day period for a customer who was not physically present at the casino. Prohibited by both casino policy and Pennsylvania state regulations, these proxy wagers were made through phone calls. The Gaming Act of the state also makes it illegal to accept bets from any person other than the one making them.

Three sportsbook staff members engaged in accepting and placing such bets have been fired while their licenses to work for casinos were canceled following this breach. The gambler has been prohibited from gambling again anywhere in Pennsylvania after being put under the involuntary exclusion list which is maintained by PGCB.

PGCB Denies Exclusion List Removals, Emphasizes Child Safety in Casino Environments

Apart from addressing issues related to proxy betting, other regulatory concerns were dealt with by the PGCB during the same meeting. Requests for removal from the Involuntary Exclusion List were denied by the board against two persons who had left children unattended while they gambled. This move was aimed at reinforcing protection measures set up by PGCB towards minors’ welfare as well as responsible gambling initiatives.

The PGCB noted: “Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children. To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids”.”

Following the regulatory action, Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia expressed its commitment towards compliance as well transparency stressing the need for training staff on how to identify and prevent proxy wagering while FanDuel which is a partner to Live! Casino has intensified the frequency of training exercises among workers so that they can ensure strict adherence to the laws.In other news, the PGCB fined Wind Creek Bethlehem $125,000 for allowing underage individuals to gamble on the casino floor.

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The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the gambling regulator in the state, is currently tasked with monitoring the gambling sector and enforcing the established rules. Overseeing the operations of Pennsylvania’s online casino games, the regulator is also in charge of monitoring sports wagering, video gaming terminals and retail casino gambling.

On Wednesday this week, the PGCB announced it imposed bans against four adults after petitions filed by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel. The bans come after the four adults were allegedly found to have left a total of six minors unattended in order to participate in gambling activities. Currently, it is prohibited for adults to leave minors unattended at hotels, parking lots or other areas adjacent to casinos in Pennsylvania.

Such actions are subject to criminal prosecution in the state. Moreover, whenever an adult is found to leave a minor unattended, they are added to an Involuntary Exclusion List. In other words, such adults are banned from casino gambling across the state.

The Gambling Watchdog Describes the Incidents

One female visitor of Live! Casino Philadelphia was banned after she left two minors, ages 10 and 13, in a car located at the parking lot of the venue. The children were left alone for 24 minutes while the woman gambled on slots at the casino.

On the other hand, another female patron was banned for leaving a 13-year-old unattended for 10 minutes in the Sky Bridge hallway at Mohegan Pennsylvania Casino. The visitor who gambled on slot machines was subsequently banned.

A male patron was banned from the state’s casinos after leaving two minors, aged 6 and 8 alone for 13 minutes. The children were left unattended in a car at the parking lot of Live! Casino Pittsburgh while the man gambled at slot machines.

Last but not least, another male patron was placed on the state’s Involuntary Exclusion List after he left a 1-year-old child unattended in a locked car at the parking lot of Valley Forge Casino Resort. The infant was left for 9 minutes inside the locked vehicle when the outside temperature was 84 degrees while the male patron gambled at a table game and a sportsbook.

Law enforcement arrived on the scene and broke the car’s window to extract the infant. According to the PGCB’s statement, the male later tried to flee the scene with his car where police uncovered illegal drugs. Besides his ban from casinos, he was also detained.

In addition to the four bans, the PGCB announced it approved a $40,000 fine against Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, the operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. The fine comes after individuals under the age of 21 were allegedly able to access the gaming floor and gamble on three occasions.

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During a public meeting in July,  The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has taken stern measures against individuals who left children unattended while they engaged in gambling activities at casinos. In a recent announcement, the board revealed that seven people have been banned from all Pennsylvania casinos due to their alleged negligence, leaving a total of nine children unattended.

Disturbing Cases of Child Neglect at Pennsylvania Casinos Lead to Bans and Criminal Charges

Shockingly, some children were left in vehicles in casino parking garages, while others were left unattended in hotel rooms. One particularly alarming case saw a male patron leave a 9-year-old child unattended in a hotel room at Mt. Airy Casino Resort for a staggering total of 7 hours and 48 minutes over a 2 ½ day period in order to gamble.

This pattern of neglectful behavior prompted the PGCB to place these individuals on the Involuntary Exclusion List, effectively banning them from all casinos in the state. The board emphasized the importance of not leaving minors unattended in such environments as it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous situation for the children. It is also important to note that leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino can lead to criminal charges for the responsible adult, adding more gravity to the issue.

The recent incidents highlighted by the board are not isolated cases. Since the beginning of 2022 until June 2023, the board has identified a staggering 397 incidents involving adults leaving children unattended at Pennsylvania casinos, affecting a total of 633 minors. One such example was a couple that left their children in a hotel room while they were in the adjoining casino gambling. Four more people were banned in January for similar reasons. The authorities are actively working to reduce such occurrences and raise awareness of the risks involved.

Pennsylvania Casinos Face Hefty Fines for Allowing Minors on Gaming Floors

Alongside the bans, the board also imposed $67,500 in fines as part of consent agreements with several operators. Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania, faced a hefty $50,000 fine for allowing individuals under the age of 21 to access the gaming floor multiple times for gambling and alcohol consumption. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh operator Holdings Acquisition, L.P., was fined $10,000 for allowing an underage individual access to the gaming floor and Rivers Casino Philadelphia operator Sugarhouse HSP Gaming, L.P., received a $7,500 fine for employing an untrained roulette dealer.

Last year the PGCB launched the “Don’t Gamble with Kids” campaign ahead of Thanksgiving, warning casino patrons not to bring their children and leave them unattended while visiting casinos. The campaign aimed to raise awareness and address the alarming number of cases where adults left their children unsupervised in casino hotel rooms or parked cars, leading to potential lifetime bans from casinos and possible criminal charges.

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Hollywood York, a Category 4 casino, has been found in breach of minimum security workforce breaches of the state’s existing gambling law. The property is owned by Penn Entertainment, previously known as Penn National Gaming, and the regulator has now found that for a period of 55 days, the casino had not actually met those requirements.

Security Shortages Considered Serious Flaw by Regulators

According to the PGCB, the casino was short on security staff in 2022, specifically for the period between May through September. Although this information is not publicly available it may be requested by the watchdog’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC).

The enforcement action has resulted in a settlement in which both parties have agreed to the terms and conditions set out by the regulator. The OEC recommended a $78,000 fine because of the security failings and said that $2,500 in administrative costs ought to be paid as well.

A representative for the company, Ruben Warren, who is the general manager, said that the casino had indeed struggled to hire security officers because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused widespread labor shortages in the industry and made it much harder to recruit staff when and where necessary.

Penn Entertainment director of compliance Alex Hvizda assured that although the casino was indeed short on security staff, at no point was public safety threatened, which is one of the issues touched upon by the regulation and the OEC during the investigation.

Public Safety Was Never a Concern at Hollywood York

“When you hear we’re short a security staff member or two, I want to assure you that’s not impacting public safety,” Hvizda said. Overall, the casino has kept a very decent floor with security incidents, even during peak hours such as Friday and Saturday nights, being kept to generally one per hour.

The PGCB did not just convene to decide what to do with Hollywood York. Similarly, the regulator continued to target individuals that have been found in serious breaches of casino etiquette and protocols. Five people were banned from entry into casinos in the state, with all five people leaving children unattended so that the culprits could access gaming floors at casinos and play.

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