The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board added 10 people to its involuntary exclusion lists, bringing the total number barred from regulated gambling in the state to 1,507.
The action included an adult placed on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List after leaving a 5-year-old unattended in the parking garage at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino for 36 minutes while gambling at slot machines. Placement on the lists bars people from Pennsylvania casinos, Board-regulated online betting sites and video gaming terminal locations.
As we reported in August, the board’s previous enforcement round had brought the combined exclusion-list total to 1,499 people.
The board said adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in casino parking lots or garages, hotels and other casino venues, because the practice can create a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for children. It created the “Don’t Gamble with Kids” awareness campaign to support casinos’ efforts to address the problem.
From the beginning of 2022 through June 2023, the board identified 397 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos, involving 633 children, according to PennLive’s 2023 reporting. Most involved children left in vehicles in casino parking lots while adults gambled inside.
The board oversees 18 land-based casinos, as well as online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, video gaming terminals at qualified truck stops and online fantasy sports contests.
