Youngsters ages 11 to 18 years old were able to access casino gaming at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania, leading to a large fine for the operator. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has fined Mount Pocono $160,000 for failing to keep the young people from playing casino games. An agreement was reached by the casino operator and the Office of Enforcement Counsel on the matter.

Three Incidents Resulted in the Fine

Casinos in Pennsylvania, as well as across the United States, must adhere to rules and regulations set forth by the state. Such rules include keeping minors from accessing the gaming floor. Players must typically be 21 years of age to enter the casino and ID checks are required.

For Mount Airy, the casino reportedly allowed an 11-year-old, two 13 year old’s, and an 18-year-old to gamble. The oldest child was able to gamble on two slot machines while two thirteen-year-old girls played slot games with their mother.

The youngest child, an 11-year-old, was able to gamble on 10 different games. Her parents were present at the time and she was able to cash out two vouchers. It seems hard to believe that the parents didn’t know that the children were not supposed to be on the gaming floor and that they appeared old enough to pass an ID check to access the gaming floor.

A Second Fine of $100,825

An additional fine was handed down to the operator for its failure to file renewal applications for corporate or individual needs by the mandated date. One such failure led to Mount Airy meeting a mandated condition connected to slot machine licensing.

In speaking with reporters at lehighvalleylive, a Mount Airy spokeswoman stated that the casino owner respects the Gaming Board’s decision, and the company is always looking to further improve its operating processes.

It is unclear if any changes will be made to ensure that the failures do not happen again. Mount Airy has not provided any information on whether or not changes will be made to ID checks or other steps to ensure young people are not accessing the gaming floor. We expect more training or at least an update with employees to try and stop such instances from happening in the future.

The Gaming Control Board is in charge of overseeing the gaming industry and will act in any instance where regulations are breached. The regulator must cover 16 physical casinos as well as online gambling operations plus sports betting and video gaming terminals.