Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced that it approved a number of fines, which together amount to more than $35,000.
Two casinos and one gaming services provider that operate in the state of Pennsylvania suffered monetary penalties worth $35,500 in total. This week, the gambling regulatory body confirmed that it gave the green light to the three consent agreements with the operators after they were found to have violated some licensing and self-exclusion rules.
Apart from the fines imposed on the gambling operators, this week the PGCB also released its gaming revenue report for April. According to the figures revealed in the report, the revenue increased by more than 14% in April 2022 in comparison to the same period last year.
The gross gaming revenue (GGR) of Pennsylvania’s gambling regulator reached $461.6 million, with the latest result reaffirming the previous reports that the gambling industry in the state already started to recover after having suffered from the negative impact of various economic factors lately.
Wind Creek Casino Bethlehem’s Operator Faces a $20,000 Regulatory Fine
The largest fine imposed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was imposed on Wind Creek Bethlehem LLC, which currently operates Northampton County-based Wind Creek Casino Bethlehem.
The casino company faced a monetary penalty worth $20,000 over a violation of some self-exclusion rules. As it was revealed by the state’s gambling watchdog, an individual, who was at the time part of a self-exclusion list, was allowed to access the casino’s gaming floor on several occasions. The individual also took part in some table games, the regulator confirmed.
As explained by the gambling regulator in a statement released on May 18th, the $20,000 fine against Wind Creek Bethlehem was imposed because of an incident in which casino staff had failed to prevent an individual included in the watchdog’s self-exclusion list from accessing the casino’s gaming floor and actively participating in table games gambling in the facility on several visits over a period of 4 days.
Three Consent Agreements Unveiled by Pennsylvania Gambling Regulator
Under the existing self-exclusion rules in Pennsylvania, casino operators are required to identify whether an individual is self-excluded from gambling or not. Once a person is identified as a self-excluded gambler, they are no longer allowed to access gambling privileges, so casinos are required to make sure they do so.
A couple of days ago, the gambling watchdog of the state revealed that the company that operates the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association Inc., faced a $7,500 fine after the regulator found that the casino operator allowed a self-excluded person to gain access to the venue’s premises. The self-excluded gambler then gambled at a slot machine and was even able to cash a personal check at the Hollywood Casino.
The third fine, worth $8,000, was imposed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on the daily fantasy sports contest operator Underdog Sports Inc., which was found to have offered games via two unlicensed shareholders. The gambling watchdog further noted that 5 corporate entities established by the company were also not licensed during a time when fantasy contest games had been offered by the company.
