Pa. Gaming Control Board fines Mount Airy, Mohegan Pennsylvania, Sugarhouse

Bill O’Boyle, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·3 min read

Apr. 26—WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday approved three consent agreements presented by the Board's Office of Enforcement Counsel ("OEC") during its public meeting regarding violations that occurred at three casinos.

Total fines levied were $147,500.

The approved consent agreements were the result of negotiations between OEC and:

—Mount Airy #1, LLC, operator of Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County was fined $120,000 for failure to timely submit internal audit plans, a stipulation of its Statement of Conditions for licensure.

—Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania casino in Luzerne County received a fine of $20,000 for two incidents in which supervisory employees worked without the proper Board-issued permit.

—Sugarhouse HSP Gaming, L.P., operator of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, a $7,500 fine for not properly notifying its security and surveillance staff along with law enforcement about an alleged cheating incident at a table game involving marked cards.

Copies of the approved consent agreements offering more details on these matters are available upon request through the Board's Office of Communications.

The Board also acted on petitions to ban three adults from all casinos in the Commonwealth for leaving a total of six children unattended in order to engage in gaming activities:

—A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving three children, ages 3-, 8-, and 10-years-old unattended in a vehicle in the Mohegan Pennsylvania casino parking lot while he wagered at the sportsbook;

—A female patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving two children, ages 2- and 5-years-old unattended in the food court at Valley Forge Casino Resort in order to wager at the sportsbook, and later once again left the children unattended in a vehicle in the casino's parking lot but was approached by security before she was able to gamble; and,

—A female patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving her 13-year-old child unattended in a vehicle at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course while she cashed a check and gambled on slot machines.

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.

Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.

The Board is reporting that since the start of 2022 through March 2023 it has identified 344 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos involving 568 minors.

The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 10 a.m., Wednesday, May 24, in the Board's Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.