The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has issued fines to three online gambling licensees after ruling they violated conditions related to self-exclusion and staffing requirements.
Fines amounted to $60,000 and were handed to the Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course; Downs Racing, operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania casino and its igaming partner Unibet Interactive; and online casino solutions provider Evolution.
Mountainview was fined $45,000 for allowing five individuals who were enrolled in the PGCB’s igaming self-exclusion program to access and gamble on its online Barstool Sportsbook.
Downs Racing and Unibet Interactive were ordered to pay $7,500 for failing to suspend an account of an individual who had used one of its compulsive gambling tools and requested a temporary suspension of online gaming activities.
The player in question requested a 90-day “cool off” period but this went unacknowledged by the operator and the individual continued to gamble for a further 21 days.
In addition, Evolution, which holds an iGaming Manufacturer License in Pennsylvania, was fined $7,500 for an unlicensed employee dealing several games of blackjack in its gaming studio for live dealer interactive gaming.
Meanwhile, the PGCB also issued bans to two adults from all land-based casinos across the state for leaving children unattended in order to gamble.
One male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 12-year-old unattended in a running vehicle in the Presque Isle Downs & Casino parking lot while he wagered at the sportsbook.
A female player was also added to the list after leaving a 14-month-old unattended in a running vehicle in the Valley Forge Casino and Resort parking lot while she wagered at the on-site sportsbook.
“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 said.
“Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.”
Since the start of 2022 through to February 2023m the PGCB identified 331 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos involving 522 minors.