Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board levies $70,000 in fines against two VGT operators

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved consent agreements on Wednesday presented by the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel during its latest public meeting, resulting in fines totaling $70,000. The penalties were imposed on two Video Gaming Terminal Operator Licensees.

TA Operating LLC was fined $37,500 for its failure to have a Board-credentialed employee present while the VGT room at its Harrisburg store located at 7848 Linglestown Road was opened and used by patrons.

Meanwhile, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Inc. was fined $32,500 for its failure to have a Board-credentialed employee present while the VGT room at its Carlisle store located at 1165 Harrisburg Pike was opened and used by patrons.

Board regulations require VGT establishments to have at least one Board-credentialed employee on-site supervising the VGT area when the games are available for play.

The Board also approved recommendations by OEC for the placement of 17 individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. This includes five persons who left minors unattended in order to engage in gaming activities in a casino and four others for committing fraud using iGaming sites.

Placed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion for unattended minors were:

• A male patron left two minors aged 6 and 13 unattended in a vehicle parked on a street near Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, while the outside temperature was 92 degrees, for 13 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook;
• A male patron left a 14-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot of Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia for 7 hours and 12 minutes while he gambled at table games;
• A male patron left a 6-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot of Hollywood Casino Morgantown for 30 minutes while he gambled at slot machines;
• A male patron left an infant unattended in a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, while the outside temperature was 91 degrees, for 5 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook; and,
• A male patron left an 11-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot of Mount Airy Casino Resort for 1 hour 40 minutes while he gambled at table games.

The PGCB emphasized that actions such as these, which deny statewide gambling privileges, 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.

To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board has created an awareness campaign called Don’t Gamble with Kids.

The eight additional persons placed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion List, whose presence in a licensed facility would be inimical to the interest of the Commonwealth and licensed gaming, were for various offenses. Since its inception, 1,247 persons have been placed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion List.

The four persons placed on the iGaming Involuntary Exclusion List for fraud were:

• Two individuals together created 5 separate online accounts using the personal information of other individuals;
• An individual used an online gaming account and illegally requested and received chargebacks to a credit card totaling $3,250; and,
• An individual used an online gaming account and illegally requested and received chargebacks to a credit card totaling $5,800.

The additions brought the total number of individuals who are currently on the iGaming Involuntary Exclusion List to 51.

The next regulator's meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18.