The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) issued four fines to three different gaming operators during its monthly meeting this week.
While none involved any PA online casinos, the PGCB fined Live! Casino Pittsburgh twice for separate violations.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh fined $30,000 by PGCB
The PGCB fined Live! Casino Pittsburgh $20,000 for allowing a self-excluded visitor access to the gaming floor and another $10,000 for an underage visitor gaining the same access.
For the larger fine, Live! Casino Pittsburgh allowed a self-excluded patron to game in March 2022 and another in February 2023. In the second incident, the visitor was not stopped by security and played multiple slot machines while consuming four alcoholic beverages.
The visitor also reached the cash cage, made a transaction and then cashed out a voucher worth more than $150. The self-excluded individual gamed for about seven hours.
VP of Legal, Thomas Diehl, told the PGCB that since the patron was 56 years old, she does not need to be carded. She should have been flagged when making a transaction, though, which didn’t happen. However, the patron presented a Maryland rewards card, which did not indicate she was self-excluded in Pennsylvania.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh general manager, Sean Sullivan, acknowledged to the PGCB that self-excluded visitors who are over 30 years old are not subjected to be carded and might be on the gaming floor. They would be flagged when transactions are made and jackpots are hit.
“The great news about a local small joint like ours is we get a list of pictures and names,” Sullivan told the PGCB. “We’re really good at seeing people we know. We know a lot of these people in the community.”
Sullivan said it is closely examining lists in Pennsylvania and Maryland so when a situation like this happens again, the ID gets flagged.
Live! Pittsburgh allows underage patron on gaming floor
With the smaller fine, Live! Casino Pittsburgh allowed an underage patron to game for seven minutes in November 2022. Security scanned the underaged visitor’s ID and the software was alerted of the age. The security guard allowed access anyway. Regulator Compliance Manager, Mike Keelon, said at the meeting:
“This incident was strictly a matter of human error. The equipment functioned properly by indicating the individual involved was underaged. The security ambassador that happened to be working at that particular post was occupied with the next person who he actually believed was underage. Because his attention was divided, he missed the indicator on the system.”
Live! Casino Pittsburgh said the security ambassador received individual training on entrance control and a final written warning.
Parx Casino receives $18,000 fine for late licensing applications
The PGCB fined Parx Casino $18,075 for failure to submit renewal applications for a principle entity license and a principle license.
The PGCB’s Bureau of Licensing sent Parx a reminder email in June 2021 that the renewal process needed to be completed by February 2022. In April 2022, Parx Casino contacted the Bureau of Licensing and requested an extension. The Bureau of Licensing responded that the license renewals were overdue and could not grant an extension to Parx Casino.
Parx then submitted the applications in May 2022, 108 days after the due date.
Chief Compliance Officer, Grace Flanagan, told the PGCB that Parx Casino has implemented a new software system to flag upcoming deadlines, making them visible to more staff members, including directors. Parx also hired an additional paralegal.
Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores tagged for $25,000
Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, a Video Gaming Terminal (VGT) establishment, received the highest single fine this month.
The facility failed to notify the PGCB that another entity, Love’s Family Holding LLC, became the 100% owner in a transaction. The PGCB was not aware until the Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) requested information.
