Pennsylvania regulator fines three gaming operators

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has approved fines against one provider of gaming services and two casinos.

US.- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has approved three consent agreements with the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel including two with casinos and one with a provider of gaming services for breaches of licensing and self-exclusion rules. The fines totalled $35,500.

The consent agreements approved are as follows:

• Wind Creek Bethlehem, LLC, operator of Wind Creek Casino Bethlehem in Northampton County, a fine of $20,000 for a self-exclusion violation;
• Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, Inc., operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, a fine of $7,500 for a self-exclusion violation;
• Underdog Sports, Inc., a fine of $8,000 for operating fantasy contests without securing required licenses.

The $20,000 fine against Wind Creek Bethlehem, LLC stemmed from an incident in which casino personnel failed to stop an individual on the PGCB’s Self-Exclusion list from actively participating in table games gambling in its facility on a number of visits over a 4-day period. Under PGCB regulations, a casino must identify self-excluded patrons and refuse gaming privileges and other gaming-related activities such as the cashing of checks.

The incident at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course involved a self-excluded individual who was able to gamble at slot machines and cashed a personal check.

The approval of the $8,000 fine against Underdog Sports was due to two unlicensed shareholders who, per Board regulations, were required to undergo background investigations and be licensed. In addition, five corporate entities created by Underdog Sports, were similarly not licensed during a time when the firm offered fantasy contest games.

See also: Pennsylvania regulator fines six casinos

Pennsylvania gaming revenue from April

Pennsylvania’s combined revenue from regulated gaming and fantasy contests generated $461.6m in April, just 0.2 per cent less than the monthly record of $462.7m set in March but up by 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

The highest increase was in sports betting, where revenue was $33.7m, up 28 per cent year-on-year. Some $30.7m was generated online and $3m from retail betting. The state handle increased 19.5 per cent to $572.8m.