Sands Bethlehem, SugarHouse fined $150k for gambling minors

Two of Pennsylvania’s leading casino operators have been hit with major fines for allowing underage patrons to gamble and consume alcohol on their premises.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) slapped a $100k fine on SugarHouse HSP Gaming Ltd, which operates the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, for five separate incidents of patrons under the age of 21 years old getting their gamble on.

Most of the incidents involve customers between the ages of 18 and 20 years old, who managed to gain access to the SugarHouse casino floor and wager at gaming tables and slot machines, while most of the young ‘uns also consumed alcohol.

But the most egregious case involved a 15-year-old female somehow eluding the eagle eyes of SugarHouse security and played the slots. Given the forehead-smacking lapse in security, it’s no wonder that the fine is the largest ever levied against the SugarHouse and the largest fine the PGCB has imposed on any of its dozen casinos since 2011.