PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“Board”) today took actions to place 17 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 a Video Gaming Terminal (“VGT”) location. 

These matters, presented by the Board’s Office of Chief Counsel and Office of Enforcement Counsel, raise to 1,379 the number of individuals now on the Board’s various Involuntary Exclusion Lists.

The actions by the Board today include placement on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List of four individuals who left a minor or minors unattended while gambling in a Pennsylvania casino:

• A female patron who left three children, ages 2, 11 and 12, in a vehicle in the parking garage at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for two hours and six minutes while he gambled at table games;

• A male patron who left minors unattended on two occasions at Rivers Casino Philadelphia: 

  • two children ages 3 and 12 in a vehicle in the parking lot for nine minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook; and,

  • two children, both 14 years of age, in a vehicle in the parking lot for 10 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook;

• A male patron who left three children, ages 8, 11 and 13, unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot at Presque Isle Downs and Casino for 10 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook; and,

• A male patron who left a 12-year-old unattended in the lobby of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia for 41 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”.

The Board also added an additional seven individuals to the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List whose presence in a casino would be inimical to the interest of the Commonwealth due to various crimes or actions. These included four individuals who were part of a dice sliding team from Texas who were able to cheat and gain almost $50,000 in winnings at Hollywood Casino Morgantown before their activity was detected and shut down.

Additionally, six others were placed on the Board’s Involuntary Interactive Gaming list for fraudulent actions.

The Gaming Control Board is scheduled to meet next at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in the Board’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg. More information, including the agenda, will be posted on the Board’s website prior to the meeting.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling involving 17 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 four mini-casinos (Category 4).  A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming generated $2.66 billion in tax revenue and fees in 2024.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey - (717) 346-8321

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