The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board took actions to place 18 individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. Placement on an Involuntary Exclusion List prohibits individuals from either gaming in a casino in Pennsylvania, via an online betting site regulated by the Board, or at a Video Gaming Terminal (“VGT”) location.
The actions by the Board include placement of four adults on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion list for leaving minors unattended at a casino property while they gambled:
- A female patron who left two children, ages 8 and 13 in a vehicle in the parking lot of Valley Forge Casino Resort for 52 minutes while she participated in various forms of gambling;
- A female patron who left three children, ages 8, 9 and 13 in a hotel room at Mount Airy Casino Resort for 1 hour 48 minutes while she gambled at table games;
- A female patron who left a 10-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot of Live! Casino Philadelphia for 3 hours 8 minutes while she gambled at slot machines; and,
- A male patron who left a 12-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot of Hollywood Casino York for 30 minutes while he gambled at slot machines.
Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges 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. To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board created an awareness campaign, “Don’t Gamble with Kids” (DontGamblewithKids.org).
In addition to the adults listed above, 14 others were placed on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List for various actions. These matters, presented by the Board’s Offices of Chief Counsel and the Enforcement Counsel, raise the number of individuals now on the Board’s various Involuntary Exclusion Lists to 1,481.
