Gaming Control Board Levies Fine For Unapproved Poker Tournaments At Central PA Casino

HARRISBURG, PA:  The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) today fined Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, $20,000 for conducting poker tournaments that had not been approved by the agency.

The fine was the result of a Board approval at its public meeting of a consent agreement between the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel and Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC.

The PA Gaming Act mandates that table games staffing plans, tournament schedules, dealer training programs and schematics of gaming guides, table layouts, signage and equipment be submitted to the PGCB for approval by the Executive Director. That was not done for four poker tournaments held in 2019 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 12, 2020 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 legalized under 2004’s Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017. In addition to slot machine and table games gambling at land-based casinos, the expansion includes online casino games available to date on five sites; sports wagering offered through sportsbooks at 12 locations and through eight online outlets; video gaming terminals (VGTs) offered as of this date at 21 qualified truck stops; and, fantasy sports contests through eight providers.

The mature land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ over 16,000 people and annually generate over $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. Construction of a 13^th casino is currently underway along with a number of new “mini-casinos” that are expected to begin operation over the next couple of years.

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.