The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) levied fines on three PA casinos during its most recent meeting on Feb. 21.
During the meeting, the PGCB approved fines for each case presented by the board’s Office of Enforcement Council (OEC). Upon hearing them, the PGCB submitted a total of $212,500 in fines to the following casinos and their operators:
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia: $65,000
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course: $97,500
- Hollywood Casino York: $50,000
While there were several retail infractions, the larger Hollywood fine was for its former PA online casino platform, Barstool.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia features two PGCB violations
OEC Senior Enforcement Council Michael Roland proposed two consent agreements against Rivers Casino Philadelphia for $65,000 in fines.
The first came for violating minimum staffing requirements in 2022. It failed to meet the minimum standards for 40 gaming days between Jan. 2 and Dec. 24. Roland told the board:
“During a portion of this time period, Rivers Philadelphia was granted temporary security department minimum staffing relief. Despite the relief, Rivers Philadelphia was still unable to maintain the necessary staffing requirements.”
The second violation was improper notification of voucher theft to the Pennsylvania State Police and PGCB.
A patron reported to security that he dropped the $444 slot voucher while on the casino floor, prompting a review of surveillance. An unidentified man picked up the voucher, cashed it and left without a trace.
The incident occurred on Sept. 18, 2022, and the casino failed to report it until Sept. 20.
PENN National receives online casino fine worth $97,500
PENN Entertainment may have cut ties with Barstool Sports in 2023, but it’s still paying the price for misconduct on its former Barstool Casino platform.
Senior Enforcement Council John Crohe cited five incidents of Barstool violating iGaming KYC requirements. The first took place between Dec. 9, 2020, and March 18, 2021, when:
- 29 perpetrators created 277 accounts
- They deposited more than $223,000 using stolen credit card information
- They made 98 withdrawals for over $81,000 to their own bank accounts
Four additional instances also occurred:
- One individual created 132 Barstool accounts in 2020 and deposited $6,443 into them. The same person created 67 more accounts using stolen information in January 2021, depositing $600 more.
- The final three all involved multiple accounts in a similar fashion, with total deposits ranging to $800.
Crohe said that PENN “failed to have sufficient procedures to prevent the fraudulent behavior as described” and requested the board approve a $97,500 civil penalty.
A representative of PENN responded, acknowledging the breach and saying it has made significant investments in upgrading its iGaming security.
Three underage gambling incidents at Hollywood Casino York
Another PENN property received the final fine in the PGCB’s February meeting when Assistant Enforcement Council Juan Sanchez presented three underage gaming incidents that occurred at Hollywood Casino York.
Interestingly, the first involved a new dealer in training in July 2022. The person, whose initials were LS, told staff that he used a fake ID to gamble on the property three times within the previous eight months. He even received a player’s card with his fake identification.
Hollywood rescinded its employment opportunity.
The second involved a security officer allowing a 20-year-old onto the gaming floor after reviewing her military ID card in December 2021. She stayed on the floor for 32 minutes, playing slots for six minutes during that time.
Upon trying to buy chips at a table game, staff reviewed her ID again. They realized she was underage, and security escorted her from the property.
Lastly, another 20-year-old entered the gaming floor in June 2022 with a fake ID that security scanned before allowing him to proceed. The individual exited the floor, re-entered and was served a drink at the sports bar.
On a third attempt to enter the gaming floor, an assistant security manager received notification of a possible false identification. He stopped the person, re-scanned his ID and confirmed it was fake.
On top of possessing a fake ID, the police cited the person for underage possession of alcohol. Additionally, Hollywood Casino evicted him from all properties.
