Two casinos in the state of Pennsylvania received six-figure fines with a total of $160,000. The fines were determined by Gaming Control Board right after the Office of Enforcement Counsel agreed with the two offending casinos. The fines are a result of the several smaller infractions that both of the venues made, thus adding up to one big fine for both of them.
Gaming Control Board (GCB) issued a press release where they state that they had fined Washington Trotting Association, Inc. with $80,000. The casino owned by them is The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, and the main problems why it was fined was because the workers at the racetrack had made an offense over the period of eight years by issuing more than $830,000 in complimentary services. The whole thing started back in 2009 and was finally inspected.
The Law is In Place
The state law clearly states that there are employees who are selected and authorized for providing complimentary services. Furthermore, there is a cap on how much money actually can be awarded. This applies to all casinos, and these persons who can provide complementary services are usually approved by GCB. The second fine went to the Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P., the company that is responsible for Valley Forge Casino Resort. There are two fines for this casino, and one of them was $50,000 for several infractions, the biggest one of them being “failure to safeguard the assets and revenues.” Furthermore, they were also fined for failing to maintain accurate records regarding finances and which include ensuring the access, record, and comparison of its assets, conduction of regular audits. They also needed to ensure the segregation of audit responsibilities and functions.
All of these things were debunked when one of the employees unsuccessfully tried to collect the reimbursements fraudulently which were connected to his employment. That employee is also included in the fine and will face criminal charges himself. The additional fine of $30,000 was for not following the guidelines. According to the Gaming Control Board, the operator did not follow the rules and the framework for the game called Spanish 21, which is a sub-type of blackjack.
There are currently more than ten casinos which may or may not have racetrack included in Pennsylvania. There is an approximate $1.4 billion annual revenue for the state from these casinos. Pennsylvania is one of the few states in the US that already made approval of sports betting. However, the licensing process and taxes suggest that not many players will participate in this activity. However, they are willing to risk it, and Penn National will join forces with William Hill to introduce sports betting to this state. They will have to pay a fee of $10 million for the license to open the first sportsbook in this state.
