A further $48,000 in fines have been issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, as a further seven individuals are placed on the exclusion list for leaving children unattended.
The former, which comes as management of Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin is transferred to a fresh incumbent, regards violations by a casino and fantasy sports contest licensee.
Chester Downs and Marina, operator of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, received a $35,000 financial punishment for allowing individuals under the age of 21 to gain access to the gaming floor and gamble.
Elsewhere, SportsHub, a licensed fantasy contest operator, received a fine of $13,000 for a change of control of its licence without board approval.
In addition, the Keystone State’s regulator has also moved to place an additional seven adults on the region’s exclusion list, which will prohibit each from entering all casinos within Pennsylvania.
This comes after a total of nine children were left unattended, at Harrah’s Philadelphia, Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania, Valley Forge Casino Resort, Rivers Casino Philadelphia and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, in order to engage in gaming activities.
The children, which ranged in age from 14 months to 13 years, were left for between two minutes and 28 minutes, while adults either gambled in a sportsbook, conducted business at a cashier’s cage, or, in one instance, unsuccessfully attempted to gain entrance to the casino.
Furthermore, one specific example saw a child left unattended so that entrance to Harrah’s Philadelphia’s casino dealer school and human resources office could be gained by two adults. Both individuals were employees of the casino and were terminated.
Since the start of 2022, the Pennsylvania regulator has identified 370 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos, which involved 596 minors.
“The board’s actions serve as a reminder that 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,” the PGCB reminded
“Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.”
Furthermore, Churchill Downs has also surpassed the opportunity to renew the management agreement for Luck Casino Nemacolin, with a sale of substantially all of its assets subsequently being undertaken for “an immaterial sum” to Woodlands Fayette.
The group manages Nemacolin Resort and will manage Lady Luck Nemacolin effective immediately, with the PGCB subsequently unanimously voting to renew the venue’s category three licence. All of the employees of Lady Luck Nemacolin were offered positions by Woodlands Fayette.
Since its opening in July 2013, Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin has generated $289.04m in gross revenue, with the commonwealth benefitting to the tune of $139.9m. The facility currently operates 600 slot machines, 26 table games.