Category: casino

Gambling regulators in Pennsylvania are fining Mount Airy Casino Resort a whopping total of $100,000 on the basis of underage gambling charges. Gamblers between the ages of 17 and 20 have caught at the casino 6 times in the last year, four of which were reported by the casino.

Bloomberg Business Week: Pa. casino fined $100,000 over underage gambling

Pennsylvania gambling regulators fined a Poconos resort casino $100,000 for underage gambling. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says gamblers between 17 and 20 years of age were caught playing slots 6 times at Mount Airy last year. In four of those cases the casino didn’t report the violations.

In an agreement with regulators Mount Airy also purchased 8 electronic scanning devices to check gambler driver’s licenses and other ID cards. Mount Airy’s vice president, Matthew Magda, says the casino is working to prevent future incidents and will report them if they occur.

In the last two years regulators have fined Pennsylvania casinos 9 times totaling $332,500 over underage gambling.

Pocono Record: Mount Airy hit with record fine by state

Mount Airy Casino Resort received a record $100,000 fine from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for 5 instances of underage gambling at the casino’s slots. Out of 5 instances, 4 were discovered by resort security yet never reported to the gaming board.

The incidents occurred between July and September 2009 when Pennsylvania’s gaming act made it illegal for anyone under 21 to operate slots and barred individuals under 18 from entering the gaming floor.

Eight identification-scanning devices were also bought by Airy to help prevent underage individuals from accessing the floor in the future. During the past 2 years, the board has levied fines 9 times for violation of underage gambling or minors on the gaming floor totaling $332,500.

The Morning Call: Underage gambling violations at Mount Airy result in $100,000 fine

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved a $100,000 fine against Mount Airy Resort Casino for underage gambling violations that occurred in the last year. According to a news release from the Gaming Control Board, 6 gamblers between the ages of 17 and 20 were caught playing slot machines at Mount Airy Resort Casino last year.

Under Pennsylvania gaming laws, it’s illegal for those under 21 to use or operate a slot, and those under 18 are forbidden from the gaming floor. The law has changed and now dictates that no one under 21 years of age can enter the gaming floor.

The Gaming Control Board described the violations that occurred at Mt. Airy: Two 18-year-old males accessed the gaming floor and played slots on July 18; an 18-year-old male played slots on the gaming floor July 29, a 17-year-old male gained access to the gaming floor and played slots on Aug. 19; a 20-year-old female entered the gaming floor, cashed a large bill at the main cashier’s cage and played slots on Sept. 10; and a 20-year-old male played slots and was served alcohol in the bars located within the resort.

Five men in the US state if Indiana face felony charges for operating what they called a charity casino. The proceeds from the games they offered were supposed to go to a local learning center, but instead went into the pockets of the operators and the men they hired to act as dealers.

News Sentinel: 5 face charges in ‘Poker Palace’ probe

The Indiana Gaming Commission has been keeping an eye on the Parnell Poker Palace since it opened back in 2008. After months of investigation, criminal charges have been filed against its owners and organizers who face three gambling-related felony charges, including conspiracy to commit unlawful charity gaming contracting.

Parnell Poker Palace is legally licensed as a nonprofit gambling operation. They offer games like blackjack, poker, dice games and roulette, and have always claimed to donate all their proceeds to the local White’s School of the Arts, a nonprofit group that helps troubled inner-city kids.

The establishment grossed $100,000 every month, but it was recently learned that deposits meant for the charity were actually being placed into a personal bank account. Quick action was taken to put a stop to the operation.

Journal Gazette: 5 men face felonies in charity-run casino hall

In the US state of Indiana, five men face multiple felony charges for operating a now-defunct charity gambling casino.

The case revolves around Ralph White, 54, who runs White’s School of the Arts Community Development Programs. It is a non-profit organization that offers 24-hour day care and educational programs for around 90 children in the town of Fort Wayne. White is also listed as an operator of Parnell Poker Palace and Casino, which offered poker, craps, roulette and blackjack three days a week from noon to 3 a.m.

While Parnell Poker Palace was legally licensed, it is now clear that its operation broke several laws. White and his partners hired dealers and pit bosses and paid them cash, which is against state laws since the casino was listed as a charity organization. They also enlisted “investors” to help finance the gambling den, and then split the revenue between themselves and White’s School of the Arts. According to state officials, however, White’s School of the Arts never filed a charity gaming report.

As it turns out, Poker Palace proceeds were deposited into White’s personal bank account, even though the money was supposedly being donated to White’s School of the Arts.

The Indiana Gaming Commission investigated the case.

Indiana News Center: Criminal Case Filed Against Former Parnell Poker Palace

Three men in Fort Wayne, Indiana, face criminal charges related to a charity gambling center that state officials say operated outside the law.

The building that is now home to a bar called Rick O’Shay’s used to house the Parnell Poker Palace.

The gambling center was run by Larry York, Charles Keller, George Kotsopoulos, Ed Miers and Ralph White. All are now being accused of illegally profiting from poker, blackjack, and other gambling activities at facility.

Court papers detail their crimes. Dealers and pit bosses were hired as volunteers, but were in fact being paid thousands of dollars under the table.

Larry Rollins of the Indiana Gaming Commission said, “When people then decide that they can profit for themselves by conducting charity events, that’s when it really crosses the line.”

The men face several felony charges including promotion of professional gambling, unlawful charity gaming contracting and corrupt business influence.

A former Girl Scouts troop leader from Minnesota has been charged for stealing the money that little girls worked hard to earn in the annual cookie sale. In total, Joleen Marie Hopkins admitted to stealing a total of $5,000 dollars in order to gamble among other things. Records, however, indicate that she stole upwards of $8,214.22.

Minneapolis – St. Paul Star Tribune: Charges: Ex-Girl Scout leader’s hand in cookie jar

A Mendota Heights woman, Joleen M. Hopkins, was charged with stealing about $8,200 from local Girl Scouts while she was a Scout leader. She was charged in Dakota County with 2 felony counts of theft by swindle and 4 counts of theft (one felony, one gross misdemeanor and two misdemeanors).

Hopkins wrote checks on Scout bank accounts in 2008 and 2009 and spent money at casinos, restaurants, grocery stores and gas stations. Nearly $4,000 was stolen from the Mendota Heights troop’s cookie sales. Hopkins 3 daughters belong to the troop from which she stole.

The chapter now requires criminal background checks on volunteers, which was not the case when Hopkins became leader. Last week in Washington County, someone entered the garage of a Lakeland home and made off with 407 boxes of cookies. No arrests have been made.

Fox News: Girl Scouts Troop Leader Admits Stealing Cookie Money

A former Girls Scouts troop leader from Mendota Heights, Minnesota; Joleen Marie Hopkins, was charged for swindling money from the troop’s annual cookie sale to pay bills, gamble and buy sports equipment.

Hopkins was charged with 2 felony counts of theft-by-swindle and 4 counts of theft, including 1 felony theft charge. The charges stem from the alleged theft of proceeds from Girl Scouts cookie sales in March 2009.

Hopkins’ husband was the troop cookie manager. The Hopkins were responsible for collecting cash from troop cookie sales and depositing the cash and checks into a troop bank account. Chapter documents show the troop collected $8,515.50 in 2009 cookie sales. A total of $1,459.80 should’ve been deposited into the troop checking account and $7,055.70 should have been deposited to the chapter account. Records show $781.20 was deposited into the troop account and $6,271 was deposited into the chapter account.

Of the $6,271 deposited to the chapter account, Hopkins wrote 6 personal and business checks totaling $2,150.50, which were returned unpaid to the chapter as “unable to locate account.” The police traced those checks to accounts that were closed in 2006 and 2007 due to large dollar overdrafts made by Hopkins.

Hopkins eventually depleted the account to a balance of $15. Investigation revealed that Hopkins had spent more than $3,000 at casinos, auto part stores, restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and businesses in Wisconsin.

ABC News: Troop leader accused of stealing scouts’ dough

A Twin Cities Girl Scout leader was charged with theft for allegedly stealing thousands in proceeds from her troop’s cookie sales. Joleen Hopkins, 54, of Mendota Heights, took over $8,000 between 2008 and 2009.

The criminal complaint states that Hopkins’ husband was the cookie manager for her girl scout troop. He has not been charged. Hopkins was charged with six theft charges, including three felonies. Hopkins, who also used the name Joleen Tillman, pleaded guilty in 2009 to stealing food stamps back in 2007.

She was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay more than $700 in restitution.

A proposal to allow gambling on the popular tourist destination was rejected by local lawmakers and will not progress past this stage. Had the proposal been passed, the state may have been able to raise up to $86 million per year in gambling revenue. The state is currently expected to face a $1.2 billion deficit.

Los Angeles Times: No dice: Lawmakers in Hawaii kill proposals for casino in Waikiki or on Hawaiian lands

According to a recent decision on the part of lawmakers, the sunny isles of Hawaii will not be seeing gambling any time soon. The bill that came under fire would have allowed a casino in the tourist center Waikiki. There will not be a vote on a second measure allowing gambling on Hawaiian home lands.

Public testimony on the gambling measures was overwhelmingly negative, leading the House Finance Committee to scuttle the idea Wednesday night. Hawaii and Utah are the only states that don’t permit any form of gambling and Hawaii’s population seems particularly passionate about keeping it out.

Gambling interests pitched casinos as a way to help rejuvenate the state’s vital tourism industry. In addition, casinos would allegedly bring $86 million a year in tax revenue to the state which is currently facing a projected $1.2 billion deficit.

Opponents of the bill argued that a casino would eat up tourist money, tarnish the state’s family-friendly image and increase crime.

The New York Times: Hawaii: Lawmakers Say No to Casinos

On Wednesday state legislators killed a bill that would have allowed a casino on the tourist filled island of Waikiki, Hawaii. A second measure allowing gambling on Hawaiian homelands will not get a vote after the House Finance Committee scuttled the idea.

Knowing that the state is facing a ghastly $1.2 billion deficit, gambling interests pitched casinos as a way to help rejuvenate the tourism industry. They also claimed that casinos would bring $86 million a year in tax revenue to a state. Opponents cited a decrease in tourist money, and the tarnishing of the state’s family-friendly image along with increase crime as reasons to keep casinos out.

Star Bulletin: Lawmakers fold their hand on casino bill

Overwhelming public opposition killed a push to establish gambling in Honolulu last Wednesday. State House Finance Chairman Marcus Oshiro said a move to legalize casino gambling is dead in the water in the Hawaii Legislature this session.

The Committee on Finance rejected a casino gambling bill yesterday after public testimony proved to be against the idea overwhelmingly.

Due to Hawaii’s current economic downturn, the committee held a public hearing on the bill, calling for a 5-year casino license to a gambling operation in Honolulu and creating a wagering tax. John Radcliffe, gambling interests lobbyist, said one casino in Waikiki could generate $522 million in income.

In addition to the Honolulu Police Department, the Honolulu Prosecutor’s and state Attorney General’s offices opposed the bill.

Opponents to the bill made claims that the allegedly inevitable rise in crime would outweigh the benefits of gambling. They also said that legalizing gambling would send the wrong message to Hawaii’s children.

Records from December 2009 indicate that the gambling business is once again on the rise. Though revenues fell in comparison to the year before, December was the second straight month on the rise after many months of decrease.

The New York Times: Gambling Revenue Rises in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Strip gambling revenue rose a solid 5.9% in December for the second consecutive month and may be a fresh sign that the casino slump might be coming to an end. According to Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, the amount in bets that Vegas casinos won climbed to $502.2 million in December from a year earlier. Revenue for the entire year declined 9.4%.

Las Vegas Strip Casinos won $5.55 billion last year, down from $6.13 billion the year before. Resort operators in Las Vegas slashed room prices and created special offers to encourage visitors to come, as companies canceled conventions and consumers spent less.

Winnings for all Nevada casinos dropped 3.2% to $859.3 million in December. Monthly proceeds for Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, slid 2.4 % to $753.2 million, according to the board.

Bloomberg Business Week: Vegas Strip Gambling Rises for Second Straight Month

Las Vegas Strip revenue seems to be coming out of one of the worst 2 year slumps its ever seen when analysts take Decembers figures into consideration. Nevada’s Gaming Control Board announced that strip proceeds climbed to $502.2 million in December from a year earlier. Revenue for the full year declined 9.4 %. Baccarat winnings led the casinos gains, particularly at Aria casino.

The Las Vegas Strip won $5.55 billion in gambling revenue over the last year, down from about $6.13 billion in 2008. Resort operators were forced to make special budget deals to encourage tourism and it appears that their efforts paid off. Some times less really is more.

Nevada’s State casino revenue dropped 3.2% to $859.3 million in December. Monthly proceeds for Clark County, which includes downtown Las Vegas and the Strip, slid 2.4 % to $753.2 million, according to the board.

According to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, roughly 36.4 million people visited Las Vegas last year, a 3% decline from 2008. Convention attendance tumbled a nasty 24% and average daily rates at Vegas hotels dropped 22% to $92.93.

KXNT: Gaming Revenues Show Record Decline

Nevada gaming revenues dropped 10.4% in the year 2009, the largest annual decline in state history. State Gaming Control Board figures show casinos netted about $10.3 billion last year, compared with $11.6 billion in 2008. It’s the lowest single-year total since 2003.

Las Vegas Strip casino revenues were off by 9.4% last year, and Clark County as a whole saw a decrease of 9.8%. In what might be a modest sign for optimism, new figures show Strip casino revenues increased in December for the second straight month in a row. Weak gaming numbers continue to drive the state’s budget shortfall, and total gaming tax revenues are down by more than 5% for the first seven months of the current fiscal year.

Singapore’s first casino opened its doors to the public on Sunday. It targets foreigners, who are exempt from paying the steep entrance fee levied on locals. The casino is part of a massive resort that also includes a Universal Studios theme park, plus several hotels and restaurants.

The Washington Post: Singapore’s first casino opens on Chinese New Year

Singapore’s first casino opened on Sunday as part of a plan to increase tourism revenue. The day was Lunar New Year, an important day on the Chinese calendar.

The new Resorts World Sentosa was built by a unit of Malaysia’s Genting Group at a cost of $4.7 billion. It is in fact the first of two new casinos that hope to transform Singapore’s current reputation as a manufacturing and banking centre.

Genting’s Singapore resort is more than just a casino. It also houses a Universal Studios theme park, plus several hotels and large convention centre.

The facility is on Sentosa island, and its opening marks the end of the government’s longstanding opposition to gambling. It will, however, remain quite strict. An admission fee equal to about $70 is required of all guests, as part a government campaign against gambling addiction. Further restrictions include a bar on entry to anyone under 21, a ban on bank cash machines on the casino floor and a blacklist of gamblers with known addiction problems.

During the opening ceremony, Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay made a statement alluding to possible US expansion. “Going forward, we are actively looking at the U.S. because the last financial crisis has brought some pain, but at the same time we see great opportunities there, in terms of buying into existing resorts that (are) down on their luck.”

Bloomberg: Genting Opens Singapore’s First Casino, Plans U.S. Expansion

Genting Bhd. opened Singapore’s first casino on Sunday as Lunar New Year celebrations began. Chairman Lim Kok Thay said the group may also expand operations to the U.S.

“We are actively looking at the U.S. and we see great opportunities,” Lim told during the opening ceremony. “Singapore’s project would be a good model for our future investments going forward.”

The new $4.7 billion Resorts World Sentosa casino houses 530 tables, 1,300 slot machines, and a 12-table poker room. The resort also includes an adjoining Universal Studios theme park.

“We will be the most exciting gaming resort in the world,” Lim said.

Genting, Asia’s largest publicly traded gambling operator, opened the casino in the wake of a global financial crisis that began in 2008. It will be followed by Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s $5.5 billion casino complex in Singapore later this year.

Singapore’s new casinos are expected to encourage economic growth this. The country hopes to attract 17 million visitors and triple annual tourism revenue to S$30 billion by 2015.

NPR: Singapore Tries Luring Foreigners As Casino Opens

Many foreigners and a few Singaporeans flocked to card tables and slot machines Sunday at 12:18 p.m. — the lucky hour when Singapore opened the doors of its first casino.

Singapore is banking on the Resorts World Sentosa to lure tourists and expatriates, and hopes to do it while maintaining their hard-earned reputation as corruption-free.

The line reserved for foreigners had grown long by the midday opening, while only a few Singaporeans were ready to pay the steep entrance fee.

The casino is part of the new Resorts World Sentosa, built by Malaysia’s Genting Bhd for $4.7 billion on a small island just off Singapore’s coast.

The opening will be followed by Las Vegas Sands’ Marina Bay Sands in May. The government hopes the casinos will increase the country’s GDP growth by 1% and add 35,000 jobs.

“They recognize they have to evolve,” said David Cohen, an analyst with consultancy Action Economics in Singapore. “Some of their traditional industries are no longer going to be competitive as Singapore climbs the ladder into a higher income, higher cost location.”

After long debate, government decided to go ahead with the casino projects for their economic benefit while implementing measures to minimize social harm. Locals must pay huge entry fees, and more than 34,000 residents — including those on welfare, in bankruptcy, with criminal records or flagged by family members — are barred from the casinos.

“It’s a way to mitigate and ameliorate, to have the goodness without all the badness,” said Lim Hock San, chairman of the National Council on Problem Gambling.

Singapore has issued a license to Resorts World Sentosa, which will put into operation the country’s first casino. Singapore is hoping to broaden its financial horizons with this project and is looking forward to being a popular tourist destination. So far, all seems to be going according to plan.

The Business Times: Casino license puts spotlight on Genting

Investors will be devoting a lot of attention to Genting Singapore shares today, after Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) received a casino license from Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority, Saturday.

RWS gave a strong presentation, Friday even before the awards announcement. In fact, Genting stock gained as much as $0.10 in the afternoon, reaching an intraday high of $1.18. A whopping 275.96 million shares changed hands, making it Friday’s most heavily traded stock on. Genting was also the only gainer among 30 STI component stocks.

Four hotels and more than 20 restaurants and shops have opened at Sentosa’s integrated resort. RWS hasn’t indicated when the casino and the Universal Studios theme park would open. Market watchers are betting the casino will open for the Chinese New Year, which arrives this Sunday.

Bernama Business: Resorts World Sentosa Gets License To Run Casino

The new Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Singapore’s first integrated resort with a casino, has received a license from the Singapore’s authorities to operate the casino. RWS chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay said the award was made possible by the dedicated team, consultants, contractors and government officials, especially on the Casino Regulatory Authority, “which worked tirelessly to set up the regulatory framework within a very aggressive timeline”.

He did not mention when the already completed casino in the resort will start its business. The resort, which is located on Sentosa Island, opened its doors to the public last month with the launch of four of its six hotels including Hard Rock Hotel and Crockfords Tower.

RWS is still waiting for another license to operate the Universal Studio theme park in the resort, dubbed the biggest in Southeast Asia.

Bloomberg Business News: Singapore approves license for first casino

Resorts World Sentosa was issued a license Saturday to operate Singapore’s first casino, according to the city-state’s regulators. Approval was delayed after the Casino Regulatory Authority asked Resorts World for more information about the casino in December.

Resorts World was built by Malaysia’s Genting Bhd for 6.6 billion Singapore dollars ($5 billion). They declined to say when the casino would open. Officials previously stated that they planned to open it as soon as the government issued the license.

The 49-hectare resort opened 1,340 rooms in four hotels last month. They plan to open a Universal Studios theme park by March. The resort is on an island a quarter of a mile (about half a kilometer) off Singapore’s coast.

A recent change to Russian gambling laws saw the closure of all casinos and gambling halls in the country, with the aim to relocate all legal gambling to four specified “gambling zones”. On Saturday, almost 7 months after the law took effect, the first new casino opened in the Azov City area. Tragically, the death of a prominent Lawmaker as he returned from the opening ceremony sparked concerns over the decision to locate the casino zones far from major metropolitan areas.

Fox News: Russia Casino Opens Under New Gambling Plan

Six months ago, Russian officials shut down all casinos and gambling halls across the country as part of a scheme to limit legalized gambling to four specific areas and relatively remote areas. On Saturday, the first new casino operating under the new plan opened its doors to the public.

About 500 people showed up for the opening of the Oracle Casino in Azov City in southern Russia. Only around 100 visitors seemed to be actually gambling – the rest where just there to check things out. The casino is housed in a large shed-like building situated in the middle of a snowy field, and houses about 200 slot machines and 10 table games.

Azov City is one of four new gambling zones in Russia. It is located about 60 miles from Rostov-on-Don, the nearest sizable city, and 120 miles from Krasnodar.

It is not yet clear how many Russian gamblers will be willing to travel such long distances to gamble, but the casino’s operators are convinced that there is a market. In fact, they plan to start building a four-star hotel this summer.

Casinos quickly spread across Russia’s cities after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, while slot machines found their way into shops, malls, and other public places. The law that brought about the new scheme was signed in 2006, but many people expected that it would never be enforced. The law limits all gambling to Azov City, the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea, the Altai region of Siberia and the Primorsky region of Russia’s Far East.

RIA Novosti: First casino to open in Russian gambling zone

The first casino in one of Russia’s new gambling zone opened Saturday, more than six months after all existing casinos were forced to close or to relocate their services to one of four designated areas.

Under a law drafted in 2007, which didn’t come into force until July 2009, all casinos and other gaming establishments in Russia can operate only in four somewhat remote areas: the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, south Siberia’s Altai Territory, Primorye in the Far East, and in southern Russia.

The new casino is operated by a company called Royal Time, which based in Russia’s Volga Republic of Tatarstan. It offers a slot machine arcade, a full casino and a seperate VIP hall. A restaurant and a free bar is also available.

Royal Time also intends open a small 11-room hotel by mid-2010. A much larger four-star hotel is expected to be completed in 2017. Royal Time will also operate free busses between the casino and two southern Russian cities: Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don.

The Azov City gambling zone, located on the Azov sea coast some 70 km (44 miles) from Rostov-on-Don, is now far ahead its three “rival” zones. Construction of its second casino is due to begin in March.

The Moscow Times: Lawmaker Killed in Car Crash after Opening of First Casino

A senior Russian lawmaker died this weekend in a car crash as he was traveling home from the grand opening of the first casino to open under Russia’s new “zone” system. The accident promises to strengthen concerns about government’s decision to limit all legal gambling to four remote areas of the country.

Nikolai Kotlyarov was speaker of the Krasnodar city legislature. He and his driver were killed when their Toyota Camry hit a car parked on the side of the Krasnodar-Eisk Highway at around 1 a.m. on.

Kotlyarov was one of about 500 people who showed up for the opening of the new Oracle Casino in Azov City, a gambling zone located about 200 kilometers from Krasnodar and 100 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don, the nearest sizable city.

Casinos and other gambling halls across the country were closed down on July 1 of last year, under a government plan to limit gambling to four specific regions: Azov City, the Kaliningrad exclave, the Altai region in Siberia and the Primorye region in the Far East.

Sunday’s car crash highlights the risks associated with the decision to locate all casinos in remote areas, and draws new attention to the country’s dangerous roads. President Dmitry Medvedev described Russia’s high road-accident rate as a problem, and has resolved to work on making roads safer.

Investigators have already announced that they believe the accident was caused by a violation of traffic safety rules, and an investigation has been opened into the matter.

Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is currently being fined a total of $16,000 by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board due to two counts of Underage Gambling violation. A 14 year old girl and 15 year old boy managed to play slots in the casino where state law dictates no one is permitted to play under the age of 21.

MSN Money: Pa. gaming control board fines Rivers Casino

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has levied a $16,000 fine against Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh for underage gambling. The fine is an agreement between the board and Holdings Acquisition Co. LP, the casino operator, regarding 2 incidents in October and December.

A 15-year-old girl was able to play on a slot machine for about 17 minutes before being caught in October, and in December, a 14-year-old boy played slots for about 4 minutes.

Rivers Casino says it “takes this incident very seriously. We join the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in this and every effort to prevent underage gaming. That’s why we monitor our floors 24-7 and immediately report any occurrence, such as these, to the state.”

Extensive employee training and security are in place to prevent underage access, along with signs throughout the property. Parents and guardians are reminded that bringing minors onto the gaming floor is not allowed. State law prohibits anyone under 18 from entering the gaming floor of a licensed facility; anyone under 21 is barred from playing.

During the past two years, the Gaming Control Board says, it has levied fines statewide on eight occasions for violations of underage gambling or minors on the gaming floor totaling $232,500.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Pittsburgh casino fined for 2 teen slots players

State gaming regulators are fining a slot machine casino in Pittsburgh because a 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were able to gamble for a few minutes each last year. The gaming board says a 15-year-old girl gambled for around 17 minutes on Oct. 15, while a 14-year-old boy played slots for about four minutes on Dec. 13 before he was caught.

The $16,000 fine imposed on the Rivers Casino on Wednesday was part of an agreement between the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Holdings Acquisition Co. L.P., which owns the casino.

State law prohibits anyone under 21 to play slot machines and anyone under 18 from being on the casino floor.

PR Newswire: PA Gaming Control Board Fines Casino for Underage Gambling Violations

A $16,000 fine was levied today by the Commonwealth’s gaming oversight agency on a Pennsylvania casino operator for underage gambling violations. The fine was part of a consent agreement between the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Holdings Acquisition Co. L.P., operator of the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. The penalties occurred at Rivers Casino in October and December of 2009.

Under the agreement, the casino must pay a fine of $16,000 for two incidents. The first was on October 14, when a 15-year-old female gained entry to the gaming floor and placed wagers on a slot machine for about 17 minutes. The second instance was on December 13, when a 14-year-old male gained entry to the floor and placed wagers on a slot for nearly 4 minutes.

The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act dictates that it’s unlawful for persons under 21 to operate or use slot machines and that individuals under 18 may not enter the gaming floor of a licensed facility.

During the past two years, the Gaming Control Board has levied fines statewide on eight occasions for violations of underage gambling or minors on the gaming floor totaling $232,500.