$80,000 Fine Levied By the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Against Casino For Permitting Underage Gambling

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today levied at fine of $80,000 against a northeast casino for two incidents of allowing underage patrons to gamble.

The fine was the result of a consent agreement between the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel and Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Luzerne County, and stemmed from two incidents in which underage patrons were permitted to gamble and, in one incident, also provided alcohol.

The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act provides that it is unlawful for persons under 21 years of age to wager, play or attempt to play slot machines or table games, nor enter and remain in any area of a licensed facility where slot machines are operated or the play of table games is conducted.

Details of these incidents are as follows:

October 28, 2010 – a 20-year-old male and a 19-year-old male gained access to the gaming floor through the valet entrance and remained on the gaming floor for approximately two hours, during which time they played blackjack at various tables. After being identified as underage, both individuals were cited by the Pennsylvania State Police with playing table games while under the age of 21.
January 2, 2011 – a 20-year-old male gained access to the gaming floor through the valet entrance and remained on the gaming floor for approximately three and a half hours, during which time he played a slot machine and also participated in blackjack games. In addition, the individual was served three bottles of beer while on the floor, even though Pennsylvania’s minimum age for being served alcohol is also 21. The individual was cited by the Pennsylvania State Police with playing slot machines and table games while under the age of 21, and for purchasing, consuming and possessing alcohol while underage.

This was the second consent agreement between the PGCB and Downs Racing involving underage gaming since its Category 1 slot machine operator license was renewed in September of 2009. Under that December 2010 consent agreement, Downs Racing was assessed a $47,000 fine for three underage gaming incidents.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 20, 2011 in the PGCB’s Office of Hearings and Appeals located on the second floor of Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 with the passage of Act 71, also known as the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Pennsylvania’s first new state agency in nearly 40 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry. The ten casinos in operation all offer both slot machine and table game gambling, employ over 15,000 people, and collectively have generated $5.6 billion in tax and license fee revenue since the first casino opened in November 2006. A portion of that money is enabling property tax reduction for all Pennsylvania homeowners, providing needed funding to the Commonwealth’s horse racing industry, funding grants for fire companies and water/sewer projects, and establishing a new stream of tax revenue to local governments for community projects. A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. At this website, visitors can view videos of Board meetings and on the operation of the PGCB, obtain information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information.

# # #