For permitting minors to access its gaming floor, Wind Creek Bethlehem was fined $125,000 by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). In a public hearing, the fines were approved in accordance with consent orders from the Office of Enforcement Counsel. Over the course of 20 months, Wind Creek Bethlehem was fined for 10 instances in which people between the ages of 18 and 20 were able to enter the gaming area. The Board called attention to these infractions as grave regulatory breaches.
Minors Left Unattended
In addition to the fines, the PGCB addressed cases involving minors left unattended by adults engaged in gaming activities. Two adults were banned from all state casinos for such offenses. One incident involved a male patron who left a 5-month-old baby alone in a running car at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack. The temperature in the garage at that time was 47 degrees.
The second case involved a female patron who left a 4-year-old child unattended in a non-running vehicle at Rivers Philadelphia Casino. The child was alone for 15 minutes in a parking lot where the outside temperature was 95 degrees. The woman’s request to be removed from the Involuntary Exclusion List for this 2017 incident was denied.
The PGCB emphasized the dangers of leaving minors unattended at casinos. “The board’s actions serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children,” the board stated. The regulator also warned that such actions could lead to criminal prosecution and permanent exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.
The Board’s stringent measures underscore the importance of adhering to regulations designed to protect minors and maintain the integrity of gaming operations.
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