Two Iowa casinos fined over violation of gambling regulations

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has imposed financial penalties on Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs and Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona for violating gambling rules in the state.

Commission Administrator Brian Ohorilko, says William Hill — which runs the simulcast operations at Horseshoe Casino— received one of the fines. “There were two instances in the spring where commission staff had identified that America Wagering did not upload names from the statewide exclusion list into their list that they use to screen patrons,” Ohorilko explains.

He says the failure to keep an update list is considered the same as allowing someone to gamble who is on the list, Radio Iowa reports. “The rules require that that list is updated once every seven days. So, in this particular situation that did not happen on two occasions,” Ohorilko says. “William Hill agreed to a penalty in the amount of $5,000, and this was their first offense for this type of incident in the past year.”

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino was fined for allowing a 19-year-old man to gamble and drink alcohol there earlier this year. “There was a situation in April where a minor had entered the gaming floor unchallenged two times — was on the gaming floor for over an hour and gambled,” Ohorilko says.

The legal age to gamble and drink alcohol in Iowa is 21.

He says Praire Meadows was fined $20,000. “For Prairie Meadows, this was the second incident in the last 365 days. If there would happen to be a third, those fines would escalate,” Ohorilko says. A third violation before the 365 day period is up would lead to a $30,000 fine.