PA Gaming Control Board Fines Casino & Sports Wagering Operator For Allowing Unapproved Wagers

Board also places five adults on the exclusion list for gambling at casinos while leaving children unattended

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“PGCB”) approved a consent agreement presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (“OEC”) during its public meeting today that jointly fined Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC and BetMGM, LLC for accepting sports wagers on an unapproved sporting event.

The approved consent agreement was the result of negotiations between OEC and Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino Morgantown in Berks County and its sports wagering partner BetMGM. The $7,500 fine was levied when BetMGM accepted and paid out wagers on the Victor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield boxing match of September 11, 2021 after the PGCB specifically notified all operators that wagering on this event would not be permitted. In total, 76 wagers were accepted by BetMGM.

A copy of the approved consent agreement offering more details on this matter is available upon request through the Board’s Office of Communications.

The Board also acted on petitions by OEC to ban 5 adults from all casinos in the Commonwealth for leaving a total of 5 children unattended in order to gamble:

• Two patrons, a male and female, were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving two children, ages 11 and 13, unattended in a vehicle in the Presque Isle Downs & Casino parking lot. The children were unattended until casino security personnel discovered that the children had been left unattended in a running vehicle for 7 minutes with outside temperatures at 46 degrees while the adults wagered at a slot machine;
• A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving an 8-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the Presque Isle Downs & Casino parking lot. The child was unattended until casino security personnel discovered the child had been left unattended in the non-running vehicle with the windows rolled up for 18 minutes with outside temperatures at 88 degrees while the adults wagered at the sportsbook;
• Two patrons, a male and female, were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving two children ages 5 and 14 unattended in a running vehicle with outside temperatures at 86 degrees in the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh parking garage. The children were unattended for 35 minutes while the male gambled at slot machines and the female used the Player’s Club kiosk and ate at a restaurant.

The Board’s actions 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. Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos. The PGCB is reporting that during 2022 it has identified 285 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos involving 464 minors.

For more information on this issue and to assist in bringing awareness to this problem, you can visit the PGCB’s special “Don’t Gamble with Kids” campaign website at this link.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 25, 2023 in the Board’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling involving 16 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.

The land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania consists of six racetracks (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and three mini-casinos (Category 4). Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the openings of up to two additional Category 4 casinos. A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming generated over $2 billion in tax revenue during the 2021/2022 State Fiscal Year.

Additional information about both the Board’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found on its website. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.