PA Gaming Control Board Approves $182,500 in Fines

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today levied fines for violations by licensees totaling $182,500.

The fines were the result of Board approvals at its public meeting of consent agreements between the PGCB's Office of Enforcement Counsel and:

• Sands Bethworks Gaming, LLC, operator of the Sands Bethlehem Casino Resort in Northampton County, which was fined $150,000 for underage gaming violations;
• Mount Airy #1, LLC, operator of the Mt. Airy Casino Resort in Luzerne County, which was fined a total of $25,000 for two separate violations, one involving a failure to follow alcohol serving guidelines and the other for failure to maintain surveillance footage of underage gaming violations; and,
• American Gaming and Electronics, Inc., a New Jersey-based goods and services provider, for unauthorized work on associated gaming equipment.

DETAILS

The fine against Sands Bethworks Gaming, LLC was for 10 incidents in which it failed to prevent underage access to the gaming floor of the Sands Bethlehem Resort Casino:

• A 19-year-old male and a 17-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor and both wagered at slot machines;
• A 17-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at slot machines;
• A 17-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at slot machines;
• A 17-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at table games;
• A 20-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at slot machines;
• A 20-year-old male gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at table games;
• A 16-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at a slot machine and sat at a table game while her father gamed;
• A 20-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at both slot machines and table games while also consuming an alcoholic beverage;
• An 18-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor and wagered at slot machines; and,
• A 20-year-old female gained access onto the gaming floor on three occasions on a single day and wagered at slot machines while also consuming an alcoholic beverage.

All these incidents, which occurred over an approximate 5-month window from September 25, 2016 to March 1, 2017, were self-reported by the Sands.

The first fine approved by the Board against Mount Airy #1, LLC was $15,000 for a failure to follow its alcohol service guidelines. The second fine, for $10,000, was for 2 incidents in which it failed to maintain, retain and save surveillance footage according to Board directives in relation to underage patron access at the Mt. Airy Casino.

Finally, a $7,500 fine was approved against American Gaming and Electronics, Inc. for providing bill validator repair service on 42 occasions prior to the company and two technicians being properly licensed by the Board.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 9, 2017 in the PGCB's Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg. 

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry. There are 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ 18,000 people and annually generate approximately $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners.

Additional information about both the PGCB's regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania's casino gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

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

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board