Reasons for the Fine
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has fined the Sands Casino in Bethlehem a total of $242,500 (£187,428) for two violations. One violation involved eleven separate incidents in which “individuals under the age of 21 accessed the gaming floor,” some of whom were able to obtain alcoholic beverages.
The other violation was “permitting the issuance of free slot play by employees who were not authorized to do so and/or issuing slot play of amounts above authorized levels.”
These types of fines are commonplace for casinos these days. One of the most common reasons for a casino getting a fine is underage gambling. This is difficult for casinos to monitor constantly due to the size of most casinos and the number of different ways people can gamble, such as through slot machines on-site.
Casino Will Not Appeal
There will be no appeal of these fines from the Sands Casino. The casino has actually reached a consent agreement with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
There are really no grounds for appeal, so casino management accepted the fine and agreed to take the necessary steps to prevent something like this from happening again in the future.
It is not likely that this fine will have any negative impact on the casino’s success. The fines are not intended to hinder the casinos.
Instead, they are meant to bring awareness to key issues that affect some gambling facilities, helping to rectify them and alerting other casinos about areas they may need to improve upon.
Other Notable Fines, Including Record Sports Betting Fine
There have been some notable fines against gambling operators in the United States so far in 2019.
The parent company of PokerStars, BetStars, got the largest sports betting fine in the history of legal sports betting in April 2019. This $10,000 (£7,729) fine was levied by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for allowing bets on games in which college teams from the state were playing.
There were 217 such bets in 2018 on the PokerStars sportsbook, of which 216 were placed on a November 19 game between Eastern Michigan University and Rutgers University. The other such bet was placed on the December 31 game between Monmouth University and the University of Pennsylvania.
New Jersey does not allow betting on games involving New Jersey college teams or on a college event taking place in the state, even if it doesn’t involve a New Jersey college.
The PokerStars sportsbook operates through the Resorts Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City.
Wynn Resorts Massive Fine
Wynn Resorts is a major casino company, founded by billionaire Steve Wynn. It was hit with a record fine of $20m (£15.5m) by the Nevada Gaming Commission recently after an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by former CEO and Chairman Steven Wynn.
After these accusations went public, Wynn resigned from his posts. The fine was levied because the company did not properly investigate these claims against its founder. It was substantially larger than the previous record, a $5.5m (£4.25m) fine on CG Technology in 2014.
A pending case in Massachusetts also involves Wynn Resorts. The company was in the process of developing one of the three resort casinos in the state when the story came to light.
The Massachusetts gaming commission was not aware of this issue during the license bidding process. The commission is currently deciding whether Wynn Resorts should lose its license.