Washington’s Hollywood Casino Slapped with $10,000 Fine

Washington Trotting Association, which operates Hollywood Casino at The Meadows in Washington County, was slapped with a $10,000 fine after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) found that it had violated a self-exclusion agreement. The fine was approved during the PGCB’s monthly meeting on April 24.

Self-Excluded Individual Allowed at Slot Machines

The $10,000 fine was levied after an unnamed person who had previously joined the PGCB’s self-exclusion list was allowed to gamble at slot machines and cash checks. 

According to responsible gambling laws across the Keystone State, all casino operators must refuse wagers from any self-excluded person, besides denying all gaming privileges and stopping them from cashing any checks. Any casino operator who finds a self-excluded person within the facilities has the right to charge them with defiant trespass.

Pennsylvania’s Online Casinos are Ramping Up Responsible Gambling Efforts

Responsible gambling across the Keystone State is taken very seriously, not only by the PGCB but even by PA online casinos themselves. Recently, five Pennsylvania operators joined forces with two off-state operators to form a new responsible gambling association.

The newly-formed Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has set aside $20 million to “ensure the wellbeing of the customer base” and “enhance the [responsible gambling] programs”. The association is expected to focus on research for the development of an independent certification program that will assess operators’ responsible gambling efforts based on a specific set of criteria.