The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board hit two major operators with fines this week. FanDuel took the bigger hit at $40,000 for licensing problems.
Sugarhouse Casino got slapped with a $30,000 penalty. The Rivers Philadelphia operator let underage people onto the gaming floor twice. Both companies agreed to pay without fighting the charges.
Seven individuals also got banned from Pennsylvania gambling. The state now has 1,411 people on its exclusion lists. They can’t gamble at casinos, use online betting sites, or play video terminals anywhere in Pennsylvania.
One case really stood out. A woman left her two kids alone in a hotel room for nearly eight hours. The children were just 8 and 9 years old. She was gambling downstairs at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows the whole time.
FanDuel’s $40,000 fine came from employee licensing failures. The company didn’t properly license several workers. That’s a basic compliance requirement all operators must follow.
Sugarhouse’s problems were more serious. Two separate incidents involved minors getting onto the casino floor and actually gambling. Pennsylvania has strict age verification rules for good reason.
The Board called leaving kids unattended “potentially unsafe and dangerous.” They’re running an awareness campaign called “Don’t Gamble with Kids” to prevent these situations.
Two other people got banned for fraud related to online gambling. The state takes cheating seriously across all gambling formats.
Both companies signed consent agreements with the Board’s enforcement office. This means they admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay up.
The $70,000 in total fines sends a clear message about compliance standards. FanDuel’s licensing violations cost them more than half that amount.
The seven new exclusions bring Pennsylvania’s total banned list to 1,411 people. These bans cover every type of legal gambling in the state.
The woman who left her children unattended faces a complete gambling ban. She can’t enter any casino property or use online platforms.
The PGCB’s enforcement office actively investigates violations. They present cases to the full Board for final decisions.
Consent agreements let companies avoid lengthy hearings. But they still have to pay substantial fines and fix their problems.
The exclusion system works across all gambling platforms. Banned individuals get flagged if they try to sign up anywhere.
The Board meets monthly to handle new cases. Their next session is August 20th in Harrisburg. The agenda will be posted on their website beforehand.
Pennsylvania’s approach combines financial penalties with direct player protection. The state clearly won’t tolerate operators who put minors at risk.
Last week, Pennsylvania released its gaming revenue results for June 2025, revealing that revenue reached $544.7 million and iGaming revenue rose 32.3% to $212.6 million.
