Gambling patrons banned for leaving children alone
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Two patrons of the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh have been placed on the statewide involuntary exclusion list for leaving children unattended in vehicles while they were inside gambling.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issued those orders Wednesday, banning the adults from all casinos in the commonwealth. The two were among eight incidents statewide where children were left unattended while the adults were gambling.
The gaming control board reported that one of the patrons in Pittsburgh, a man, left an 8-year-old child unattended in his taxi service vehicle in the bus lobby parking area of the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. The child was unattended for 20 minutes while the adult wagered in the sportsbook, according to a news release issued by the board.
Another male patron also is banned from casinos statewide after leaving three children, ages 9, 6 and 5, unattended in a vehicle in the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh parking garage for 21 minutes while he played table games.
The board also approved a consent agreement at its public meeting, which leads to fines of $10,000 for Stadium Casino RE, LLC, operator of Live! Casino Philadelphia, for two incidents in which individuals gained access to restricted areas of the casino facility.
The consent agreement was the result of negotiations between the Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) and Stadium Casino RE, LLC. It is the first consent agreement between OEC and this operator since the opening of its casino in January 2021.
In the first incident, a woman entered numerous restricted “back of the house” areas in both the casino and hotel, and stole items from employees. In the second incident, three casino patrons gained access to an unsecured restricted area and the casino floor after previously being denied casino entry by security.
A copy of the approved Consent Agreement offering more details on the matter is available upon request through the PGCB’s Office of Communications.
The Board’s actions regarding adults who chose to enter casinos while leaving children under their care unattended serves as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lots or garages, hotels or other venues at casinos, because it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children.
Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board oversees all aspects of gambling involving 16 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and video gaming terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.
