PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) today banned four individuals from all casinos in the Commonwealth after leaving children unattended so they could gamble in a casino.

The Office of Enforcement Counsel presented four cases to the Board involving unattended children left in parked vehicles or in a hotel room at casinos in Pennsylvania. In each case, the parent left a young child or children with no adult supervision so they could go into a casino to gamble. In each instance, the Board termed this behavior “irresponsible and dangerous” resulting in the approval of the placement of the four offending adults on the Board’s Involuntary Exclusion List which prohibits individuals from entering and gambling at all Pennsylvania casinos. Additionally, offenders may face criminal prosecution.

Since 2011, 133 individuals have been placed on the Involuntary Exclusion list for this type of behavior.

The individuals placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List today include:

• A male parent who left his children, ages 10 and 11, in a vehicle in the parking lot of Rivers Casino Philadelphia for approximately 20 minutes while he was inside gambling. The children were discovered alone in the vehicle by casino security;
• A female parent who left her 5-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot of Rivers Casino Philadelphia for approximately 13 minutes while she was inside gambling. The child was discovered alone in the vehicle by another patron who notified casino security;
• A male parent who left two children, ages 1 and 3, in a vehicle in the parking lot of Live! Casino Pittsburgh for approximately 26 minutes as he was inside gambling. The children were discovered alone in the vehicle by other patrons who notified casino security; and,
• A male parent who left his 5-year-old unattended in a Mount Airy Casino Resort hotel room while he gambled in the casino. The incident was uncovered after the parent reported the child missing, though the child was later to be found by security sleeping in the room.

In making these decisions regarding the four adults, the Board is reminding the gambling public to not leave children unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venue at a casino. This irresponsible behavior will not only lead to the possible exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos and criminal prosecution, but more importantly may result in harm to the unattended child.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2022 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 three mini-casinos (Category 4).  Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the anticipated openings of up to two 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.