PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) today approved consent agreements between the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel and three casino operators resulting in a total of $150,000 in fines.

The consent agreements approved today are as follows:

• Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator via its affiliates of internet gaming sites hollywoodcasino.com and barstoolsportsbook.com, was fined $57,500 for allowing self-excluded individuals to access and gamble on those websites;
• Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, a second fine of $25,000 for allowing underage individuals onto the casino gaming floor and gamble;
• PID, LLC, operator of Presque Isle Downs and Casino, $45,000 for violation of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Covid-19 Safety Order regarding alcohol service; and
• Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, operator of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack,  $22,500 for failure to protect assets.

DETAILS

The first fine against Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association stemmed from the gaming operator permitting nine individuals that were currently on the PGCB’s Voluntary iGaming Self-Exclusion List to create or gain access to casino-type gaming or sports wagering sites, and in some cases place wagers. iGaming sites must refuse wagers from and deny gaming privileges to any iGaming self-excluded person.

The second fine approved today against Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association involved its Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course facility in Dauphin County. This case involved a single incident in which four persons under the ages of 21 attempted to gain access to the gaming floor, two of the four individuals accessed the gaming floor, and one of the four individuals gambled at a slot machine. The individuals were 16, 17, 18, and 19 years of age.

PID, LLC, operator of Presque Isle Downs and Casino, was fined for an incident in which a patron was permitted to consume alcohol on the gaming floor during a Pennsylvania state-wide order to protect the public from the spread of Covid-19 that prohibited all bars from serving alcohol unless it was in the same transaction as a meal.

The fine against Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, operator of Harrah’s Philadelphia, stemmed from two incidents in which the casino failed in its responsibility to safeguard assets. In one instance, a patron stole $955 of playing chips at a table game. In the other, a patron stole $24,000 in cash when a cash drawer was left open.

Copies of the approved Consent Agreements offering more detail on each of the matters are available upon request through the PGCB’s Office of Communications.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 15, 2021 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 at 15 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.

The land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania consists of six racetrack (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and two mini-casinos (Category 4).  Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the anticipated openings of up to three additional Category 4 casinos. A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming is expected to generate over $1.8 billion in tax revenue during the 2021/2022 State Fiscal Year.

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.