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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The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), a body that regulates gambling in the Netherlands, has reported that the casino operator Betent has breached the local advertising standards. The gaming company’s prohibited actions have earned it a fine, the regulator added.

As reported, Betent’s Betcity.nl online gaming brand promoted gaming content to young adults – people aged 18 to 24. For reference, this is strictly forbidden under Dutch law as it is considered to constitute advertising to a vulnerable target group.

Following a broadcast on Kassa, a local TV program, the KSA launched an investigation and found out that the operator had been violating this rule between October 2021 and March 2022.
In its announcement, the KSA noted:

The brains of young people are still developing. As a result, they are extra susceptible to gambling addiction.

KSA statement

Betent Will Have to Pay a Fine

As it turns out, Betent had been incentivizing people aged 18-24 to play for months. While they weren’t the operator’s only target audience, many such people received promotional messages, inviting them to play with Betcity.nl.

As a result, the KSA slapped Betent, Betcity’s parent company, with a €400,000 (roughly 438,000, current conversion rates) fine.

René Jansen, chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit, commented on the matter, highlighting the importance of protecting young people from gambling harm. He reiterated that the law prohibits casino companies from targeting young adults with their marketing campaigns.

Jansen added that the Kansspelautoriteit will continue to closely monitor the sector and sanction companies that violate these guidelines. He concluded that it is important for gaming companies to respect the rules and protect vulnerable customers from harm and addiction.

The Netherlands Will Ban Untargeted Ads

The current fine comes in the wake of other fines the KSA handed following its investigation. In the past month, three gaming companies were found guilty of breaching the Dutch regulations on advertising and penalized as a result. The fine handed to Betent is the fourth fine handed as a result of this investigation.

At the beginning of this month, Franc Weerwind, the Dutch minister for legal protection, commented on the topic of gambling advertisements and said that the government will proceed with its ban on untargeted ads.

Weerwind explained that, unfortunately, gambling companies rarely can be trusted with self-regulating their marketing activity. Some of them, he noted, have been actively marketing their products even when they have been asked by the KSA to be mindful of their audiences.

The Netherlands plans to ban untargeted ads from July 1 this year.

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