The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) recently announced that the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, PA was assessed fines totaling $260,825. A majority of that amount was for violations relating to underage gambling.
The release from the PGCB stated that the fines were levied against Mount Airy No. 1 LLC, the operator of the casino.
A fine of $160,000 was for three instances of youths that were under 21 and gambled on the casino floor. The first was an 18-year-old male who played two slot machines. The second was an 11-year-old female who gambled at 10 slot machines in the presence of her parents. Her father was seen inserting a $100 bill into a slot machine so she could play. She cashed two vouchers. The third instance involved two 13-year-old females who gambled at slot machines with their mother.
In two of the three violations, casino employees came within 10 feet of the minors but did not ask for identification to prove they were 21 years old.
The boards release stated: “The Gaming Act makes it unlawful for an individual under 21 years of age to enter and remain in any area of a licensed facility where slot machines are operated or the play of table games is conducted, and to wager, play or attempt to play a slot machine or table game at a licensed facility.”
Members of the PGCB were outraged at the violations.
“Even an 11-year-old doesn’t look like they’re 30,” said Denise J. Smyler, PGCB chairwoman at a recent meeting. “I don’t care if they’re five-eight, I don’t care if they’re six foot. And I don’t care if they’re built like a woman.”
Smyler also said the board had “extreme disappointment” in the casino and added, “It sounds like the entire staff needs to be trained.”
The second fine of $100,825 came from the failure of Mount Airy to timely file 32 corporate or individual renewal applications. There was also a failure to get an individual relicensed and that caused a failure to meet a mandated condition connected to Mount Airy’s slot machine license.
This is not the first violation for the casino, which opened in 2007. In 2020, the casino was fined $90,000 for nearly 500 instances where employees exceeded the discretionary free slot play limit.
“The ownership of Mount Airy Casino Resort respects the decision of the Gaming Board and we are always working towards further improving our processes,” a statement from the casino resort reads.
