During the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s (PGCB) board meeting held in February 2024, the gambling authoritative board approved a total of three consent agreements that were presented by the Office of the Enforcement Counsel in Pennsylvania. These agreements addressed three fines totaling up to $212,500 for a list of offenses.
Two of the penalized casinos are part of PENN Entertainment’s casino chain.
The Three Penalized PA Casinos
The highest penalty was fined to PENN Nationals Racecourse, with a total of $97,500 in fines. Despite its disassociation with Barstool Sports in 2023, Penn Casino is still paying the price for its previous ties with the platform. The latter’s several court cases of misconduct and law breaches have made PENN cut off its partnership with Barstool and instead ally with ESPN. Still, PENN is being fined for failing to both recognize and implement the necessary procedures needed to prevent such fraudulent behavior.
The second-highest fine goes to Rivers Casino in Philadelphia, with a total of $65,000. The latter addresses two violations. The first is that the company has failed to meet the minimum staffing requirement for 40 consecutive days, resulting in several reports by the affected employees. Second is when the same Rivers Casino failed to report immediately a $444 voucher theft that was stolen within the premises.
The last $50,000 fine was charged to Hollywood Casino York, which is also part of PENN Entertainment. The latter is being penalized for three separate underage game incidents. Two of the incidents involved two 20-year-olds with a Fake ID that managed to get into the casino. The other was a security officer allowing another 20-year-old to enter the casino premises, where she stayed a total of 32 minutes playing on machine slots. These happened between 2021 and 2022.
Aftermath
In response to these fines, representatives from the mentioned establishments have acknowledged their shortcomings and are committing to address the issues imminently, mainly through substantial investments in upgrading and innovating their iGaming security measures.
About Gaming in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania state is responsible for the highest casino revenue within the United States, with 2023 closing off at a staggering $5.86 billion in revenue. The casino industry – both land-based and online casinos in PA – is restricted and authorized through the legal framework of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).