Pennsylvania regulator issues $125,000 in fines to Wind Creek Bethlehem for underage gaming violations

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has imposed a $125,000 fine against Wind Creek Bethlehem for 10 incidents in which underage individuals gained access to the gaming floor at the casino it operates. 

The incidents, which occurred over 20 months at Wind Creek Bethlehem in Northampton County, involved 11 individuals between the ages of 18-20.

Also in its latest public meeting, the regulator announced its decision to place three individuals on its exclusion list due to incidents where children were left unattended to engage in gaming activities:

• A male and a female patron were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 5-month-old unattended in a running vehicle while the outside temperature was 47 degrees in the parking garage of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack in Delaware County for 30 minutes while he gambled at a table game.
• A female patron’s request to be removed from the Board’s Involuntary Exclusion List for a 2017 incident in which she left a 4-year-old unattended while in Rivers Philadelphia Casino was denied. The child was unattended for 15 minutes in a non-running vehicle in the parking lot while the outside temperature was 95 degrees.

The PGCB emphasized that leaving minors unattended at a casino creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children. It also reminded the public that adults who leave minors unattended at Pennsylvania casinos can face criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all casinos in the state.

To complement the efforts by casinos to mitigate this issue, the Board has created an awareness campaign called "Don’t Gamble with Kids." The next regulator's meeting is scheduled for June 26.