The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Wednesday announced it has approved petitions filed by its Office of Enforcement Counsel to ban four adults from casinos for leaving minors unattended while gambling.
The incidents:
- A male and female were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List for leaving a nine-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the Wind Creek Bethlehem parking garage for one hour, 34 minutes, while they gambled at slot machines.
- A female patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List for leaving a 13-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the Hollywood Casino York parking lot for 39 minutes while she gambled at slot machines.
- A male patron was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a six-year-old unattended in a vehicle in the parking garage at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh for one hour, 44 minutes, while he gambled at table games.
Adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at Pennsylvania casinos. Leaving minors unattended at casinos in the Commonwealth also subjects offending adults to criminal prosecution, in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.
To support efforts by casinos, the PGCB created an awareness campaign, Don’t Gamble with Kids, in November 2022. The PGCB tracked 197 incidents of unattended minors through the first seven months of 2022. That number has been reduced to 126 incidents through the first seven months of 2023.
