Gaming Control Board Levies $50,000 In Fines Against Two Casinos

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) today levied a $45,000 fine against Washington Trotting Association, Inc. for permitting four underage persons to gamble at its facility, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, earlier this year.

In addition, a fine of $5,000 was levied by the Board on Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., operator of the Parx Casino, for doing business with a prohibited gaming service provider.

In both instances, the fines were the result of consent agreements between the PGCB's Office of Enforcement Counsel and the license holders and approved by the Board today at its public meeting.

The fine against Washington Trotting related to four occasions in which individuals under the age of 21 were able to gain access to the gaming floor and gambled at slot machines or table games.  Under the Pennsylvania Racehorse Development and Gaming Act, it is unlawful for an individual under 21 years of age to wager, play or attempt to play a slot machine or table game at a casino.  The instances occurred at The Meadows between March 24 and May 19, 2012 and involved individuals aged 18 to 20 years old.

Washington Trotting has been fined a total of $35,000 on two other occasions, once in 2009 and again in 2011, for similar violations.  Officials at The Meadows self-reported these violations to the PGCB.

Greenwood Gaming's fine stemmed from the purchase of a software maintenance program from Vision Solutions, Inc. after that firm had been placed on the Board's prohibited gaming service providers list.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 22, 2012 in the PGCB's Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg.  

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 with the passage of Act 71, also known as the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Pennsylvania's first new state agency in nearly 30 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry. The 11 casinos in operation all offer both slot machine and table game gambling, employ over 16,000 people, and collectively generate an average of $4 million per day in tax revenue. A portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners; provide funds to the Commonwealth's horse racing industry, fire companies, a statewide water and sewer project grant program, and the state's General Fund; and, established a new stream of tax revenue to local governments that host casinos for community projects.

A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board's regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. At this website, visitors can watch Board meetings live or view videos of past meetings, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, obtain information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information.  You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

CONTACT: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey (717) 346-8321

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board