PGCB fines Meadows $40,000 for self-exclusion violation
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has levied a $40,000 fine against the operator of The Meadows Casino for violations of the board’s self-exclusion program.
According to a press release from the PGCB, the fine was the result of board approval of a consent agreement between the PGCB’s office of enforcement counsel and Washington Trotting Association, which operates the North Strabane Township gaming venue.
The fine was imposed for permitting two people who had earlier placed themselves on the board’s self-exclusion list to gamble at the casino, which also allowed promotional materials to be distributed to numerous people on the self-exclusion list.
The violations were for:
• A self-excluded male who was permitted to access the casino floor on two separate occasions and gamble at table games;
• A self-excluded male who was permitted to access the gaming floor and gamble on slot machines.
During its investigation of the individual matters, the PGCB’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement discovered that The Meadows sent promotional e-mails to 91 people through a contracted third-party vendor. Per regulation, a casino must assure that people on the self-excluded list do not receive any promotional materials relating to gaming activities at its facility.
The fine at The Meadows was part of a total of $103,000 in fines levied at a total of four casinos, including Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino, which was fined $7,500 for permitting an unlicensed employee to work at the casino.