PA Gaming Control Board Levies $27,500 In Fines

Board also took action on five adults for gambling at casinos while leaving minors unattended

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“Board”) approved two consent agreements today presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (“OEC”) during its public meeting resulting in a total of $27,500 in fines:

• Stakelogic, USA, an Interactive Gaming Manufacturer license holder received a fine of $22,500 for not properly notifying the Board of a change in control of its ownership structure; and
• TA Operating, LLC, d/b/a TravelCenters of America site #67, holder of a Video Gaming Terminal Establishment license, was fines $5,000 for not having functioning surveillance monitors in their gaming area nor, in absence of that, direct line-of-sight monitoring by store personnel.

Copies of the approved consent agreements offering more details on these matters are available upon request through the Board’s Office of Communications.

The Board also acted on petitions filed by OEC to ban five adults from all casinos in the Commonwealth for leaving minors unattended in order to engage in gaming activities.

• A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 10-year-old unattended in a vehicle with an outside temperature of 86 degrees in the parking garage at Live! Casino Philadelphia for 4 hours while he gambled at table games;
• A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 9-year-old unattended in a vehicle with an outside temperature of 91 degrees in the parking lot of Rivers Casino Philadelphia for 1 hour and 8 minutes to gamble in the sportsbook and at table games;
• A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 5-year-old unattended in a vehicle with an outside temperature of 85 degrees in the parking lot of Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie County for 25 minutes while he gambled at table games;
• A female patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving two minors, ages 4 and 12, unattended in a vehicle with an outside temperature of 8 degrees in the parking lot of Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County for 45 minutes while she gambled at slot machines; and
• A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 10-year-old child unattended in a vehicle outside the mall entrance at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County for 10 minutes while he gambled at table games.

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.  To compliment the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids”.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 21, 2024 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 Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling involving 17 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 racetrack (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and four mini-casinos (Category 4).  A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming generated $2.35 billion in tax revenue during in 2023.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on X (formerly Twitter) by choosing @PAGamingControl.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.