This week, Pennsylvania’s gambling regulatory body announced it imposed a number of monetary fines on gambling companies in the state. The fines are worth $150,000 in total.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has approved monetary penalties against three gambling companies that offer their services in the state. A statement released by the state’s gambling watchdog earlier this week reads that the regulatory body approved consent agreements between three casino operators and its Office of Enforcement Counsel.
The three casino operators that faced regulatory fines totaling $150,000 are Penn National, which owns and operates 39 gaming and racing venues in the US, PID LLC, which operates Presque Isle Downs and Casino, and Chester Downs and Marina, which operates Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack.
Penn National Faces Two Fines Issued by Pennsylvania’s Gambling Regulator
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed that it approved two fines for Penn National, owner and operator of a number of gaming and racing venues across the country.
The first monetary penalty is related to an incident that occurred at the Hollywood Casino hosted at the Dauphin County’s Penn National Race Course. As the state’s gambling watchdog revealed, there was a single incident that occurred with four people under the age of 21 – aged 16, 17, 18, and 19, respectively – when they attempted to gain access to the casino’s gaming floor. In fact, two of the four underage individuals managed to enter the gaming floor, with one of them later betting on a slot machine. The failure of the gambling company to prevent this from happening resulted in a $25,000 regulatory fine.
The second monetary penalty faced by PennNational is associated with two online gaming affiliates of the Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, barstoolsportsbook.com and hollywoodcasino.com. As revealed by the Gaming Control Board of the state, the two websites provided self-excluded players with the chance to enter the platforms and gamble. According to the gambling regulatory body, 9 people, who are on the Online Gambling Self-Exclusion List managed to gain access to casino-style gambling or sports betting services. While at the platforms, some of the self-excluded customers also managed to place wagers. The failure of Penn National to prevent users, who have previously opted out from accessing online gambling sites, from entering the platforms and even spending money on their services, results in a $57,500 fine for the company.
Two Other Casino Operators Face Monetary Penalties from Pennsylvania Gambling Watchdog
Apart from Penn National, two other gambling operators also suffered fines imposed by Pennsylvania’s gambling watchdog.
As revealed by the PGCB, it imposed a monetary penalty against PID LLC after the gambling company breached the current coronavirus safety measures. As found by the watchdog, the gambling operator permitted a casino player to drink alcohol while on the casino’s gaming floor. Under the existing rules aimed at tackling the spread of the Covid-19 infection, all bars are suspended from serving alcohol unless the beverage is accompanied by a meal. This violation cost $45,000 to the casino company.
The state’s gambling regulator imposed a $22,500 fine on Chester Downs and Marina over the operator’s failure to protect assets. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said that the violation is associated with two incidents. The first one of them is related to a casino player who managed to steal $955 in playing chips from a table game at the casino. The second one is related to another casino patron who managed to steal about $24,000 in cash after a cash drawer was not fully closed by the casino’s staff.