BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Wind Creek Bethlehem is being fined $125,000 for 10 incidents in which underage people gained access to the casino gaming floor, state regulators said.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced the fine after approving a consent agreement with casino operators Wednesday.
The 10 incidents involved a total of 11 people between the ages of 18 and 20 and occurred over a 22-month period between November 2021 and September 2023, the Gaming Control Board said.
Under state rules, those under 21 are prohibited from a licensed casino where slot machines and table games are in operation.
In some of the cases, those underage were able to gamble and be served alcoholic beverages, according to the consent agreement. All of them were discovered and reported by casino personnel.
In some cases, those underage were able to gamble and be served alcoholic beverages, according to the consent agreement. All of them were discovered and reported by casino personnel.
LehighValleyNews.com has reached out to Wind Creek officials for comment.
The Gaming Control Board said this is the second civil penalty against Wind Creek regarding underage people gambling since its license was renewed in 2018.
There also have been 15 underage incidents addressed via warning letters to Wind Creek since then, the Gaming Control Board said.
Under the agreement, Wind Creek will immediately institute policies and provide employee training to "minimize the opportunity for similar incidents to occur in the future."
Other actions
Also Wednesday, the Gaming Control Board also acted to ban, or leave intact an earlier ban, of three adults from all casinos in Pennsylvania for leaving minors unattended in order to engage in gaming activities:
- A male and a female patron were placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List after leaving a 5-month-old unattended in a running vehicle while the outside temperature was 47 degrees in the parking garage of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack in Delaware County for 30 minutes while he gambled at a table game; and,
- A female patron’s request to be removed from the Board’s Involuntary Exclusion List for a 2017 incident in which she left a 4-year-old unattended while in Rivers Philadelphia Casino was denied. The child was unattended for 15 minutes in a non-running vehicle in the parking lot while the outside temperature was 95 degrees.
The board said its actions serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
