• Last September 21, 2022, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) levied three fines totaling $280,825 against two casinos: Mount Airy Casino Resort, in Poconos, and Pilot Travel Centers and PJF Southeast. 
• Following negotiations between the Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) and the infringers, monetary sanctions were levied.
• Additionally, the Monroe County-based casino operator was penalized for missing re-licensing deadlines.
• Pilot Travel Center and PFJ Southeast were fined by the PGCB for failing to notify the authority of a change in control involving the company’s VGT establishments license.

Casinos Prohibit Gambling by Minors

During the first case’s public hearing, the PGCB accepted two settlements between OEC and the casino’s operator, Mount Airy No. 1 LLC, resulting in two financial penalties. 

Mount Airy Casino Resort was fined $160,000 for allowing minors between the ages of 11 and 18 to visit the casino floor and play without being checked by security officers on three separate occasions over the past year. 

My mistake, an 18-year-old male accessed the casino alone. Two 13-year-old twins accompanied by their mother were discovered playing slot machines. In the third occurrence, an 11-year-old girl who was in the casino with her parents played ten different slot machines.

According to Pennsylvania law, only adults over the age of 21 may bet. According to the law, those under 21 may only be accompanied on the gaming floor of resort establishments, such as Mount Airy. Minors are provided with bracelets that indicate their status as minors.

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COVID 19 Requirements Make It Difficult to Judge Individuals’ Age

The chairman of the PGCB, Denise J. Smyler, claimed that the board was “very” upset by the casino. She said that the casino’s whole workforce likely requires retraining. 

Mount Airy’s executive director of security, Lianne Asbury, stated that it was difficult to determine a person’s age owing to COVID-19 mask restrictions.

Wednesday, the PGCB assessed Mount Airy Casino Resort an additional fee of $100,825 for failing to submit 32 corporate or individual renewal applications by the statutorily specified due dates. 

The Monroe County-based gaming operator failed to meet a required requirement for the slot machine license due to the absence of one individual’s re-licensing.

The PGCB would not comment on whether the minors or their parents will face prosecution in connection with their gambling. Mount Airy was fined $90,000 in 2020, following an investigation by the PGCB’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, for providing gratuitous free slot machine play. 

In another instance, the PGCB accepted a settlement between OEC, Pilot Travel Center, and PFJ Southeast, wherein PFJ Southeast agreed to pay a $20,000 fine for failing to inform the PGCB of a change in control of its VGT site.