- Three adults were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List for leaving children unattended to engage in gambling activity.
- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board also fined a casino $125,000 for underage gambling violations.
- Many casinos across the country have implemented child supervision and entertainment areas so adults can play blackjack without putting their children at risk.
PHILADELPHIA – The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) issued a $125,000 fine to Wind Creek Bethlehem for 10 incidents of allowing underage individuals to access the gamin floor. The incidents involved 11 individuals between the ages of 18-20 playing blackjack and other casino games while underage.
PGCB reports claim the incidents at Wind Creek Bethlehem, located in Northampton County, happened over a span of 20 months. The decision to issue the fine was made during Wednesday’s public meeting with the Board’s Office of Enforcement.
Three Adults Placed On Ban List For Leaving Kids To Gamble
The Board also added three adults to the Involuntary Exclusion List, banning them from all casinos in Pennsylvania, for leaving children unattended to gamble at a casino. According to the Board’s press release, one five-month-old child was left in a running vehicle in the Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino parking garage for 30 minutes, and a four-year-old was left in a non-running vehicle for 15 minutes with an outside temperature of 95 degrees.
Casinos in the state have tried to combat this with their “Don’t Gamble with Kids” campaign, that raises awareness to the ongoing issue in Pennsylvania. The repeated child endangerment begs the question, should kids be allowed at casinos with adult supervision?
Obviously, this doesn’t entail letting children participate in Pennsylvania blackjack or other forms of gambling. Casinos in California and Washington have specific childcare and entertainment areas where kids can safely stay away from the gambling environment while adults play.
Perhaps Pennsylvania will invest in the Kids Quest and Cyber Quest technology that adds a supervised arcade and entertainment experience for children right at the casino. After all, it’s a much better option than having irresponsible adults leave their kids in the parking garage unsupervised.