Pennsylvania Board Fines Casino $125K After Guests Gamble

Posted on: May 23, 2024, 06:13h. 

Last updated on: May 23, 2024, 06:13h.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) on Wednesday imposed a $125K fine on Wind Creek Bethlehem after almost a dozen visitors illegally entered the casino’s gaming floor despite their ages.

The penalty was imposed after 11 underage guests — ranging from 18 to 20 years old – went to the casino floor during 10 different times. One needs to be at least 21 to gamble at state casinos.

The instances took place between November 2021 and September 2023, according to LehighValleyLive.com, a regional news site.

Young Violators Permanently Banned

Some of the young violators were permanently banned from returning to Wind Creek Bethlehem. Some even got citations from the Pennsylvania State Police.

As part of the agreement, Wind Creek Bethlehem in the future will post signs in the casino detailing penalties if guests show false IDs in an effort to gain access to the property.

The casino will also place PGCB warning posters in the gaming property that are part of the “What’s Really at Stake? Underage gambling will cost you!” educational/enforcement initiative.

In addition, Wind Creek Bethlehem staff routinely checks IDs of guests who look under 30 years of age.

During the two years when violations took place, casino staff checked 737,257 IDs, the report said. As a result, 4,779 underage visitors were stopped from entering the gaming floor during the time period.

Baby Left Alone in Car

Also, the PGCB recently banned an unnamed couple from visiting any Pennsylvania casino. The two left a five-month-old baby unattended in a car at a state casino.

While they kept the engine on, the couple went into Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack in Delaware County to gamble, according to Pennsylvania TV station WTAJ. The outside temperature while the baby was in the car was 47 degrees. There was no indication the child was injured.

The couple returned to the vehicle after about a half hour.

Both adults were placed on an involuntary exclusion list for the state’s casinos.

Woman Fails to Get Off List

During the same meeting, the PGCB refused to take a woman off the involuntary exclusion list.

Her name was placed on the list after, in 2017, she left a four-year-old child in a vehicle at a gaming property.

The engine was turned off and the temperature outside at the time was 95 degrees. The unidentified woman went inside the casino to gamble. She returned to the vehicle after about 15 minutes.

In a PGCB statement, the board explained, “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 statement added.