Pennsylvania Regulator Fines Casinos
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has revealed that it has approved three consent agreements, in the process issuing fines against two casinos and one provider of gaming services totaling $35,500 on charges of self-exclusion violations and unlicensed activities. The fined companies include Wind Creek Bethlehem and Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has issued fines against two casinos and one provider of gaming services totaling $35,500 on charges of self-exclusion violations and unlicensed activities. ©12019/Pixabay
First Two Fines Were For Self-Exclusion Violations
The chief gambling regulator of the US state of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), has just announced that it has greenlit three consent agreements, thereby applying fines to two casinos and one provider of gaming services totaling $35,500 for self-exclusion violations and unlicensed activities.
One of the gambling companies in question is Wind Creek Bethlehem, operator of Wind Creek Casino Bethlehem in Northampton County, which will be forced to pay $20,000 for a self-exclusion violation. This is because its casino personnel did not stop an individual on the PGCB’s Self-Exclusion list from repeatedly participating in table games gambling in its retail facility on a number of visits over a 4-day period.
The second operator which was fined was Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, which runs Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County and now ordered to pay $7,500 for the same kind of violation, stemming from a self-excluded individual who managed to gamble at slot machines and cashed a personal check at the company’s physical location.
Third Fine Was For the Operation of Fantasy Contests Without License
Last, but not least, the third fine issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was against Underdog Sports, who have been ordered to pay an $8,000 fine for operating fantasy contests without securing the necessary licenses.
The operator offered games in Pennsylvania through two unlicensed shareholders who, according to Board regulations, should have undergone background checks and also received the required licenses. Furthermore, five corporate entities created by Underdog Sports were also not licensed at a time during which the firm offered Fantasy Contest games.
In related Pennsylvania gaming market news, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently reported an increase of 14% in gaming revenue in April compared to the same period in 2021, as the state’s casinos reached $461.6 million.
The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course led the market last month with a total revenue of $65.6 million, generated primarily from online gaming, amounting to $45.2 million.
For a little background on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: the PGCB handles all aspects of gambling involving 16 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, as well as the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.
PointsBet Launched in Pennsylvania in April 2022
Another operator has recently entered Pennsylvania’s increasingly crowded gambling market, with major gambling operator PointsBet announcing the launch of its online casino product in April 2022, arriving on the heels of the launch of its mobile app and digital sports betting product in the state in February 2022.
PointsBet is already live in Michigan, New Jersey, and West Virginia, with Pennsylvania marking the fourth state in which its iGaming platform is on offer – albeit in a soft launch environment at first, as required by regulations set by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
PointsBet’s online casino product first launched in May 2021 in Michigan. In further good news for gamblers residing in Pennsylvania: PointsBet’s launch in the state will also allow these gamers to enjoy additional access to games offerings from operators such as International Game Technology (IGT), as well as Evolution.
The states in which PointsBet currently runs its sports betting product are: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, with online casinos in Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia, and now Pennsylvania.
In other PointsBet news, the operator’s US division entered into a multi-year sports betting partnership with global sporting data provider Sportradar in December 2021. Sportradar is now PointsBet US’ chosen supplier of Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, college football, and college basketball data.
Pennsylvania Regulator Fined Parx Casino Back in October 2021
Back in October 2021, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) fined Parx Casino operator Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment $10,000 for allowing underage gaming on its gaming floor, while also sanctioning parents who left their children unattended in cars in casino parking lots.
Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, and specifically its Parx Casino location, violated the state’s underage gaming laws when it allowed an 18-year old to step onto the casino’s gaming floor and use one of its slot machines.
It was also brought to the regulator’s attention that there were three instances in which parents left their children completely unattended in cars in casino parking lots in order to enter and patronize said casino.
