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Summary
- A Hollywood player enjoyed slots for one hour while being excluded from gaming.
- Wind Creek allowed a problem gambler to play for 81 hours at the midi-baccarat tables while self-excluded.
- Wind Creek will pay $22,500 while Hollywood was fined $10,000 for the violations.
Every casino operating with licensing in the United States must adhere to the rules and regulations of that state. In Pennsylvania, the Gaming Control Board oversees the actions of casinos in the state. When a casino violates a regulation, the board has the right to act.
This week, the board hosted a monthly meeting and revealed that two casinos face stiff fines for allowing self-excluded players to access casino games. The two casinos on the list are Wind Creek and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
Details of Wind Creek Violations
Wind Creek Bethlehem allowed a self-excluded gambler to enter the casino on a Monday night last year and stay for 85 hours in total. In that time, 81 hours were spent playing games, including midi-baccarat. The casino did not flag her for several days.
Within the four day time frame, the player was able to exchange over $10,000 for chips to play. By the time casino officials confronted her, the gambler had only $230 left. The casino was fined for allowing the gambler to not only enter the property but to continue to gamble for days before she was flagged as self-excluded.
Wind Creek must pay a $22,500 fine for the violation. Measures are in place to avoid allowing self-excluded players from gaining access to services, so it is unclear as to what happened in this case.
Hollywood Casino also fined by the Board
The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was fined as well, for a lesser violation involving a person who is self-excluded. An individual was allowed to play slots at the casino for around an hour before officials figured out the person was not allowed to be there.
A cashier ran her name through a database after she had been playing for some time, and realized she was self-excluded. The woman wanted to cash a check for funds to gamble and the casino was alerted. After video surveillance was reviewed, the gambler was able to enter the casino and cash a $100 check because the cashier did not review her name on the list for self-exclusion.
The gambler told officials that she thought her exclusion time period was over as she had signed up in 2016. It was not and she was charged with trespassing. The cashier that did not review the patron’s name when cashing the check has been provided more coaching on documenting patrons. The casino must pay a $10,000 fine for the incident.
Since Pennsylvania legalized gambling in 2004, just under 18,000 individuals have self-excluded from gaming. Casinos use several measures to screen patrons including facial recognition software. However, sometimes systems fail, or employees do not complete certain tasks and players slip through the cracks, such as these instances above. In that case, the casino must pay a fine for violating player protection regulations.
