01/19/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/19/2022 13:13
HARRISBURG, PA:The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) today banned four individuals from all casinos in the Commonwealth after leaving children unattended so they could gamble in a casino.
The Office of Enforcement Counsel presented four cases to the Board involving unattended children left in parked vehicles or in a hotel room at casinos in Pennsylvania. In each case, the parent left a young child or children with no adult supervision so they could go into a casino to gamble. In each instance, the Board termed this behavior "irresponsible and dangerous" resulting in the approval of the placement of the four offending adults on the Board's Involuntary Exclusion List which prohibits individuals from entering and gambling at all Pennsylvania casinos. Additionally, offenders may face criminal prosecution.
Since 2011, 133 individuals have been placed on the Involuntary Exclusion list for this type of behavior.
The individuals placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List today include:
In making these decisions regarding the four adults, the Board is reminding the gambling public to not leave children unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venue at a casino. This irresponsible behavior will not only lead to the possible exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos and criminal prosecution, but more importantly may result in harm to the unattended child.
The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2022 in the PGCB's Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.
About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling at 15 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.
The land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania consists of six racetrack (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and three mini-casinos (Category 4). Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the anticipated openings of up to two additional Category 4 casinos. A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming is expected to generate over $1.8 billion in tax revenue during the 2021/2022 State Fiscal Year.
Additional information about both the PGCB's gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/ . You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.