PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“Board”) today took actions to place 22 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 today include placement of five 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 9, in a hotel room at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows for 7 hours 41 minutes while she gambled at table games; 

    - A female patron who left three children, ages 2, 6 and 12, in a vehicle in the parking lot at Hollywood Casino York for 29 minutes while she gambled at slot machines and table games;

    - A female patron who left a 10-year-old in a hotel room at Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino for 3 hours 37 minutes while she gambled at table games; 

    - A female patron who left a 10-year-old in the bus lobby at Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino for 17 minutes while she gambled at slot machines; and,

    - A female patron who left a 9-year-old in a vehicle in the parking lot at Parx Casino for 23 minutes while she gambled at table games.

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 five adults listed above, 12 others were placed on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List along with the placement of five additional persons on the Involuntary Interactive Exclusion List for committing fraud on iGaming or Sports Wagering sites.

These matters, presented by the Board’s Office of Chief Counsel and the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (“OEC”), raise the number of individuals now on the Board’s various Involuntary Exclusion Lists to 1,491.

The Gaming Control Board is scheduled to meet next at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 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 $2.98 billion in tax revenue and fees in 2025.

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

###