Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Levies $55,000 In Fines

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today levied fines totaling $40,000 for the unauthorized use of table games equipment, along with an additional $15,000 for other violations.

The largest of the fines, $18,000, was levied against DEQ Systems Corporation, a Canadian manufacturer of table games and related equipment, for distribution and use of its EZ Track System prior to receipt of its Conditional Manufacturer’s license. EZ Track is an electronic system used in Baccarat.

The Board also approved consent agreements for two other licensees that sold or utilized the EZ Track System. Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc., operator of the Parx Casino in Bucks County, was fined $12,000 for entering into a contract and utilizing the EZ Track System, while United States Playing Cards Company of Kentucky was fined $10,000 for distributing the system.

Additionally, a consent agreement with International Gaming Technology (IGT) of Nevada resulted in a $5,000 fine. In the agreement, IGT admitted to allowing four progressive slot machines to be placed into operation at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh prior to final approval by the PGCB. The machines had incorrect settings that enabled the machines to pay out at an elevated level for four hours on February 29, 2012. Patrons were not harmed due to the payout error and the Rivers Casino paid the Commonwealth $11,570.63 to correct an underpayment in tax revenue due to the error.

Greenwood and another casino licensee, Downs Racing, LP, also received fines today on separate matters.

Greenwood agreed to a $10,000 fine for failure to comply with its approved Compulsive and Problem Gambling Plan by allowing an intoxicated patron to gamble.

Downs Racing, operator of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino, was cited for failing to seek Board approval for its renewal of a Service Level Agreement with Mohegan Sun Connecticut’s IT Department. The violation occurred because Mohegan Sun had agreed to seek Board approval for all renewals of its Service Level Agreements, including automatic renewals. The Board waived any fine against the Luzerne County casino but did direct them to pay the PGCB $2,500 to cover investigative costs accrued by the agency in this matter.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Thursday, November 8, 2012 in the PGCB’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of Strawberry Square 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 30 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry. The 11 casinos in operation all offer both slot machine and table game gambling, employ over 16,000 people, and collectively generate an average of $4 million per day in tax revenue. A portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners; provide funds to the Commonwealth’s horse racing industry, fire companies, a statewide water and sewer project grant program, and the state’s General Fund; and, established a new stream of tax revenue to local governments that host casinos for community projects.

A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board’s regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. At this website, visitors can watch Board meetings live or view videos of past meetings, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, obtain information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

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