- Nine children were left alone including an 11-month-old baby.
- Seven people are now banned from PA casinos.
- Each individual was placed on the Involuntary Exclusion List.
Pennsylvania has a problem. For years now, adults have been banned from casinos in the state due to leaving children unattended to gamble.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board started banning adults that take this action after it happened repeatedly.
The board thought that the ban would stop people from leaving children alone to gamble, but it has not. An additional seven people have now been added to the state’s Involuntary Exclusion List.
Gambling while Children are Left Alone
During the Board meeting this week, officials announced seven more people for the exclusion list. A male and female were added after leaving a nine-year-old child alone at the hotel within the Mr. Airy Casino Resort. Within a two and a half day time frame, the child was alone for almost eight hours.
A male was visiting the Rivers Casino Philadelphia and left a five-year-old child in the parking garage in a car for 35 minutes. He went inside to place a sports bet. Another male decided to leave a three-year-old in the parking lot of the Live! Philadelphia Hotel & Casino for 10 minutes as he visited the sportsbook.
A female gambler visited the Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and left four children in the parking garage inside a vehicle. The children were 2, 10, and two thirteen-year-olds. She was gone for 40 minutes gambling and watching someone she knows gamble.
At the Parx Casino Bensalem, a man left a 7-year-old in a vehicle within the parking lot to play slots and place a sports bet. The last incident involved a man that left an 11-month-old alone for 42 minutes to bet on table games at the Rivers Casino Philadelphia.
Banning and Criminal Charges
Leaving a child unattended result in a lifetime ban from casinos in Pennsylvania. On top of that, the adult can also face criminal charges. It is unsafe to leave a child, especially babies and toddlers, alone for any length of time.
The gambling regulators of the state are not holding back and will pursue all avenues in an attempt to stop adults from acting in this manner. It seems almost every month that new people are placed on the list for the same action.
Since last year, almost 400 incidents of child neglect have been seen in the state involving casinos. More than 600 children have been affected. Parents and caretakers are seemingly acting like they are just running in for a quick minute when many are gone for quite some time, putting their child at risk of harm or even possible kidnapping.
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