Pennsylvania Adds 19 to Gaming Exclusion Lists
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) added 19 people to its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. This move bars them from playing at Pennsylvania casinos, using state-regulated online betting sites, or hitting video gaming terminals (VGTs).
New Bans and Child Safety Focus
With 19 additions, the total count of excluded individuals statewide now sits at 1,363, per PGCB records. The board’s latest action, announced after a public meeting, targets folks who broke rules in big ways.
Two landed on the Casino Involuntary Exclusion List for leaving kids unattended while gambling. A man left an 8-year-old and a 13-year-old in a vehicle at Valley Forge Resort Casino’s parking lot for 52 minutes while he played inside.
Separately, a woman left an 8-year-old alone in a hotel room at Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia for over an hour, busy with slots. The PGCB also shot down a removal request from a woman who, in 2022, left three kids, ages 10, 14, and 15, in a car at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for 1 hour and 41 minutes. Her ban sticks.
The board’s firm on this: adults can’t leave minors alone in parking lots, hotels, or anywhere at casinos. It’s a safety issue, and they’ve got a “Don’t Gamble with Kids” campaign to hammer that home.
Beyond these cases, eight others got banned from casinos for crimes or actions labeled “harmful to the Commonwealth’s interests.” Nine more joined the Involuntary Interactive Gaming List for online fraud, though specifics weren’t shared.
Fines and Operator Accountability
The PGCB didn’t stop at bans. It approved a deal with its Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC), slapping a $10,000 fine on Washington Trotting Association LLC, which runs Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, and Sports Information Services Limited, known as Kambi.
The penalty came after someone placed 35 late-posted sports bets at casino kiosks, a slip-up on odds timing. Both companies split the fine, underscoring the board’s push to keep betting clean and fair.
This fits a busy 2025 for the PGCB. Earlier this year, it added 26 people to exclusion lists in January and February, per its updates, often for similar kid-related neglect or fraud.
Pennsylvania’s legal gambling scene (17 casinos, online gaming, and sports betting) pulled $2.66 billion in tax revenue in 2024, per state data. Keeping it legit means cracking down hard when rules get bent.
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