Pennsylvania Casinos Fined $145K, State Gaming Agency Teases Record Revenue

Posted on: April 14, 2022, 07:00h. 

Last updated on: April 14, 2022, 09:48h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Four Pennsylvania casinos have been fined by the state for various operating infractions.

Pennsylvania casinos PGCB fine gaming revenue GGR
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole at a responsible gaming conference in 2018. O’Toole says March 2022 was likely the state gaming industry’s best month ever. (Image: Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board)

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced yesterday numerous regulatory fines totaling $238,500. The fines were levied against four casinos and two licensed vendors that do direct business with the licensed gaming establishments.

The two vendors — Gaming Partners International USA, Inc. and GPI Mexicana S.A. de C.V. — were hit the hardest. The table game manufacturers were issued $85,500 fines each for failing to submit audited annual financial statements to the PGCB no later than 90 days after the conclusions of their 2019 and 2020 fiscal years.

The remaining $145,000 in fines were issued against Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, Mohegan Sun Pocono, Rivers Casino Philadelphia, and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh.

Casino Infractions

Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, which was known as The Meadows until last fall, was fined $40,000 for overserving alcohol to a patron.

The PGCB says the guest was served 17 draft beers during an 11-hour period. Another individual was served five mixed drinks, three shots, and a draft beer in a three-and-a-half-hour time frame.

The first intoxicated person ended up injuring himself in a fall. The second person became involved in a physical altercation that resulted in an alleged assault of two patrons and two casino security guards.

The state fined Mohegan Sun Pocono $10,000 for allowing a person access to its gaming floor after previously self-excluding from all land-based casinos in Pennsylvania. Rivers Casino Philadelphia was also hit with a $10,000 penalty for permitting underage individuals access to their casino. The under-21 person later gambled at the casino.

The state gaming agency additionally fined Rivers Casino Pittsburgh $7,500 for failing to adhere to a PGCB order to replace software on a dozen slot machines. The state said the replacement software not being installed did not result in any additional regulatory violations.

Record Revenue

During the state gaming hearing this week, where the six fines were handed down, PGCB Executive Director Kevin O’Toole teased that preliminary data for March revenue suggests another record-setting report.

Pennsylvania’s all-time best gross gaming revenue (GGR) month was set in November 2021. Gaming income from brick-and-mortar casinos, iGaming, retail and online sports betting, video gaming terminals (VGTs), and daily fantasy sports totaled $423.7 million that month.

However, O’Toole suggested that the state gaming industry’s revenue ceiling has once again been broken. The executive director said yesterday that March GGR will likely come in north of $463 million.

If that is realized once the numbers are finalized and confirmed, March 2022 will represent a more than 9% premium on the state’s previous all-time best mark. The official March gaming revenue report is set for release next week.

Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s largest and richest gaming industries. Today, the commonwealth is home to 16 brick-and-mortar casinos, plus interactive internet slots and table games, online and in-person sportsbooks, truck stop VGTs, and daily fantasy sports. Two additional land-based satellite casinos are currently in development in State College and Shippensburg.