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HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug, 2018 — The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved fines today totaling $160,000 against two casinos for various violations.
The fines were the result of Board approvals at its public meeting of consent agreements between the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel and:
Washington Trotting Association, Inc., operator of the Meadows Casino in Washington County, an $80,000 fine for allowing unauthorized employees to issue complementary services; and,
Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P., operator of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Montgomery County, two fines, one of $50,000 for failure to prevent fraudulent transactions by one of its employees, and a second of $30,000 for table game violations.
DETAILS
Washington Trotting Association, Inc.’s fine stemmed from the issuance of over $830,000 worth of complimentary services from 2009 to 2017 by employees who were not authorized to do so. Each licensed facility is required to have within their Board-approved internal controls a matrix of employees who are authorized to award complimentary services and a specific amount that may be authorized.
Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P.’s larger fine was the result of the casino’s failure to safeguard its assets and revenues, failure to maintain accurate and reliable financial records, ensure access, record and compare its assets, conduct regular audits, and ensure that audit functions and responsibilities were segregated. These issues materialized through a scheme perpetrated by a casino employee to fraudulently collect work-related reimbursements, an action that led to criminal charges being filed against that employee.
The second fine levied against Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P. was the result of the casino not being compliant with its Board-approved rules and guidelines for the play of Spanish 21 blackjack.
The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 12, 2018 in the PGCB’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.
About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry, along with oversight of new gaming initiatives created through amendments to the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act recently approved by the signing of Act 42 of 2017.
The Commonwealth’s casino industry currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos. These facilities collectively employ 17,000 people and annually generate approximately $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners.
Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.
Source: Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
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