Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Fines Wind Creek Bethlehem $125,000 for Underage Gambling Violations

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has imposed a $125,000 fine on Wind Creek Bethlehem for 10 incidents involving underage individuals gaining access to the casino’s gaming floor.

These violations included 11 individuals aged between 18 and 20 over a 20-month period at the Northampton County casino.

The fine was approved during a public meeting where the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) presented the consent agreement.

Beyond the fine, the Board also reviewed cases where adults left minors unattended to gamble.

In one case, a male and female patron were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 5-month-old child unattended in a running vehicle for 30 minutes while they gambled at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack.

In another instance, a female patron’s request to be removed from the Involuntary Exclusion List was denied. She had left a 4-year-old child unattended in a non-running vehicle for 15 minutes at Rivers Philadelphia Casino in 2017, with outside temperatures at 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

The PGCB stressed that leaving minors unattended at casinos not only endangers the children but also exposes the responsible adults to potential criminal charges and exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.

To combat this issue, the Board has launched an awareness campaign titled “Don’t Gamble with Kids.” The next PGCB meeting is set for June 26 at the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.

The PGCB has issued similar penalties in the past. For example, in August 2022, the PGCB took action against two adults who left two children alone in a hotel room while they gambled in the adjoining casino.