The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) issued a $35,000 fine to Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack for allowing anyone under 21 to access the gaming floor to gamble. The casino‘s operator, Chester Downs and Marina, was fined for the breach.
The PGCB also issued a separate $13,000 fine to SportsHub. The licensed costume contest operator was found guilty of having changed control of its license without approval from the PGCB.
In related news, the PGCB also announced banning orders for individuals found leaving children unattended inside casinos. Those found guilty of such infractions are added to the state’s involuntary exclusion list.
Additions included two employees of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack, who left a child in a vehicle in the parking lot. The individuals left the 14-month-old baby unsupervised to enter the croupier school and the casino’s human resources office.
Meanwhile, a customer was placed on the list for leaving a two-year-old child unattended in a vehicle at the Valley Forge Casino Resort. The child was left alone for two minutes when the subject unsuccessfully tried to enter the casino.
Another player was added to the list for leaving two children, ages six and 11, in a vehicle at Rivers Casino Philadelphia. The children were left for six minutes while he visited a cashier at the casino. In addition, another individual also left children unattended in a vehicle at the same casino while betting on sports. The children, ages three and 13, were left alone for seven minutes.
Finally, a customer was added to the list for leaving two children unattended in a vehicle at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. The two children, aged five and nine, were left for nine minutes while the player bet on the sportsbook. From early 2022 through May 2023, the PGCB identified 370 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble in casinos.
