Pennsylvania regulator levies fines to casinos totaling $112,500, while expand gambling exclusion list

The gambling watchdog of Pennsylvania handed down $112,500 in fines to three operators and added eight more people to its exclusion rolls during a public meeting late last month.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board signed off on three separate consent agreements at its February 25 session, wrapping up enforcement cases tied to a casino operator, an online gaming supplier, and another brick-and-mortar property.

The steepest penalty, $70,000, went to Holding Acquisition Co., L.P., which runs Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. State officials said the fine was tied to seven incidents in which patrons who had voluntarily placed themselves on the casino’s self-exclusion list were still able to enter the gaming floor and place bets.

Regulators have repeatedly stressed that self-exclusion is one of the state’s central responsible gambling safeguards, designed to block people who acknowledge they have a gambling problem from accessing casinos and online platforms.

Relax Gaming North America, LLC was ordered to pay $32,500 after carrying out a change in control without first obtaining approval from the board, something state regulations require of licensed internet gaming manufacturers.

Stadium Casino Westmoreland, RE, LLC, the operator of Live! Casino Pittsburgh, faced a $10,000 penalty. In that case, an underage individual younger than 21 was able to access the gaming floor and gamble, a violation of Pennsylvania law.

Pennsylvania gambling regulator fines part of wider enforcement trend

The latest actions follow a string of enforcement moves in recent months. In prior meetings, the board placed 22 people on exclusion lists in one sweep and banned 15 more in another round of decisions.

The board has also targeted casinos over underage gambling before. In a separate case reported earlier this year, a property was fined $30,000 after allowing a teenager to gamble, reinforcing the expectation that operators maintain strict age-verification controls.

In another enforcement push, regulators imposed a combined $70,000 in fines on well-known operators for compliance failures.

With the eight new additions approved in February, Pennsylvania’s various involuntary exclusion lists now include 1,499 people. Anyone placed on those lists is barred from entering casinos, wagering at video gaming terminal locations, or using state-regulated online betting sites.

Board officials said the cases were presented jointly by the Office of Chief Counsel and the Office of Enforcement Counsel, which investigate and prosecute violations of the state’s gaming laws.

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