The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has issued three further fines that total $35,000, as Wind Creek Bethlehem presents a mitigation plan to enhance efforts in deterring and detecting instances in which children are left unattended at the property.
The former sees two casinos and one provider of gaming services penalised for self-exclusion violations as well as one instance of operating without a licence.
Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, was fined $7,500 after one self-excluded individual was able to gamble at slot machines and cashed a personal check.
Furthermore, Underdog Sports received an $8,000 punishment that stemmed from the fantasy contest operator offering games within the Keystone State without securing the required licences.
Finally, Wind Creek received a $20,000 fine after an individual on the regulator’s self-exclusion list actively participated in gambling at table games at the venue during a number of visits over a four-day period.
The Northampton County gaming establishment also outlined a mitigation plan in response to increased PGCB concern regarding a number of incidents reported of children being left unattended in vehicles, hotel rooms or other locations at the casino.
An examination undertaken by Wind Creek discovered 147 incidents involving 268 children that were left unattended at the facility from 2018 to 2021.
The age ranges for those concerned ranged from two-months to 17-years-old, with minors being left unattended for periods ranging from just one minute to over nine hours.
The group’s plan includes increased training for staff, heightened patrols across all areas of the venue, and additional signage.
This became the second plan to mitigate occurrences of unattended children at casinos being brought to the board after Boyd Gaming, operator of the Valley Forge Casino Resort, made its case in November 2021.
“Since the board publicly addressed this serious situation, we have seen the casinos step up their efforts to detect children left unattended on their property while adults responsible for their care gamble,” said Kevin O’Toole, Gaming Control Board Executive Director.
“All casinos are taking this matter seriously and we expect more specific plans, such as those implemented at Valley Forge and Wind Creek casinos, to come before us in the near future.”
