Compliance Updates
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Levies $147,500 in Fines
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board also places three adults on exclusion list for gambling at casinos while leaving children unattended
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has approved three consent agreements presented by its Office of Enforcement Counsel (OEC) during its public meeting regarding violations that occurred at three casinos. Total fines levied were $147,500.
The approved consent agreements were the result of negotiations between OEC and:
* Mount Airy #1, LLC, operator of Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County was fined $120,000 for failure to timely submit internal audit plans, a stipulation of its statement of conditions for licensure.
* Downs Racing, LP, operator of Mohegan Pennsylvania casino in Luzerne County, received a fine of $20,000 for two incidents in which supervisory employees worked without the proper Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board-issued permit.
* Sugarhouse HSP Gaming, LP, operator of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, a $7,500 fine for not properly notifying its security and surveillance staff along with law enforcement about an alleged cheating incident at a table game involving marked cards.
Copies of the approved consent agreements offering more details on these matters are available upon request through the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s Office of Communications.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board also acted on petitions to ban three adults from all casinos in the Commonwealth for leaving a total of six children unattended in order to engage in gaming activities:
* A male patron was placed on the involuntary exclusion list after leaving three children, ages three, eight and ten, unattended in a vehicle in the Mohegan Pennsylvania casino parking lot while he wagered at the sportsbook.
* A female patron was placed on the involuntary exclusion list after leaving two children, ages two and five, unattended in the food court at Valley Forge Casino Resort in order to wager at the sportsbook and later, once again, left the children unattended in a vehicle in the casino’s parking lot but was approached by security before she was able to gamble.
* A female patron was placed on the involuntary exclusion list after leaving her 13-year-old child unattended in a vehicle at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course while she cashed a check and gambled on slot machines.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s actions serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children.
Leaving minors unattended at a Pennsylvania casino also subjects the offending adult to criminal prosecution in addition to exclusion from all Pennsylvania casinos.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is reporting that since the start of 2022 through March of 2023 it has identified 344 incidents of adults leaving children unattended to gamble at Pennsylvania casinos involving 568 minors.
For more information on this issue and to assist in bringing awareness of this problem, you can visit the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s special Don’t Gamble with Kids campaign website. The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 am, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s public hearing room located on the second floor of the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg.
Compliance Updates
Grupo Aposta Ganha secures GLI 19, GLI 33 and Brazilian certification for its platform from BMM Testlabs
Aposta Ganha, the fastest-growing Brazilian sports betting and casino site, has successfully completed its GLI 19, GLI 33 and Brazilian certifications from BMM Testlabs for its Player Account Management (PAM) system and Sportsbook
These three important certifications mark a significant milestone in Grupo Aposta Ganha’s complete commitment to regulatory compliance and operational excellence in Brazil’s iGaming market. Meeting BMM Testlabs’ rigorous testing processes highlights the company’s dedication to best practices and upholding the highest levels of security, transparency, and user experience.
BMM Testlabs implemented a comprehensive 360-degree evaluation of vital operational elements, including user account management, platform interaction, and security. Grupo Aposta Ganha’s systems officially meet the standards for operating within a regulated market, reflecting both international best practices and the specific requirements of Brazil’s regulatory environment.
Grupo Aposta Ganha CTO, Rony Silva, added: “Securing these three certifications showcases our relentless commitment to meeting all the requirements stipulated by the regulator. As a company, we’re passionate about offering our customers the highest levels of compliance and safety. Our certification is part of our greater mission of embracing the evolution of good practices that have been built collaboratively to meet the Brazilian market’s unique position.”
Compliance Updates
Koi Nation of Northern California Casino Plan Meets Requirements of Indian Gaming Laws
The Koi Nation of Northern California is in full compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s “Restored Lands Provision” in the tribe’s pursuit of the Shiloh Resort & Casino project in unincorporated Sonoma County, California.
“The promise of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s “restored lands provision” was to remedy the tragic history of forced removal and relocation by allowing restored lands to be utilized for tribal gaming. Like it or not, a rigid set of rules exists to qualify for this provision of federal law — and we’ve dutifully met them all,” said Darin Beltran, Chair of the Koi Nation of Northern California’s Tribal Council.
The Koi Nation’s ancestors relocated to Sonoma County after rejecting the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ offer of a Rancheria in neighboring Lake County in 1916 that the agency itself deemed uninhabitable. This tragic series of events rendered the Koi Nation landless and led to the improper termination of its federal recognition status, ending its ability to pursue gaming through the same rights afforded to all other federally recognized tribes.
The Koi Nation’s federal recognition status was finally restored in 2000, and a 2019 ruling in a case overseen by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, Beryl A. Howell, recognized the tribe’s ability to pursue gaming through the “restored lands provision”.
“This unique provision of federal law allows tribes restored to federal recognition status, such as the Koi Nation, to pursue gaming according to strict statutory and regulatory requirements,” Beltran said.
These requirements include the demonstration of a “significant historical connection” to the site of proposed gaming projects.
In its filing for a restored lands opinion, the Koi Nation methodically details the tribe’s deep ties to Sonoma County. These include their ancestors’ well-regarded roles as Sonoma County Native American political leaders who advocated for 1928 federal native claims legislation, Native American social rights and community organization with other Pomo tribes, and voters for the tribe’s organization under President FranklinRoosevelt’s Indian Reorganization Act of 1935.
“Since that time, the center of Koi Pomo life – and death – has been in Sonoma County. Our application is in full compliance with Indian Gaming Regulation Act’s restored lands provision,” said Dino Beltran, Vice Chair of the Koi Nation of Northern California’s Tribal Council.
The Koi Nation’s strong historical connection to Sonoma County was recently supported by an opinion piece published by the project site’s local paper of record, the Press Democrat.
Additionally, the largest native American news publication in the US, Indian Country Today, published an opinion piece supporting the Koi Nation’s utilization of the restored land provision in the face of recent opposition.
The publication of these two pieces demonstrates that the opinions contained therein are significant not just in the region surrounding the proposed Shiloh Resort & Casino project, but for all of Indian country throughout the US.
Canada
Jackpot Digital Receives Approval from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority
Jackpot Digital, a leading manufacturer of electronic multiplayer dealerless poker tables, has announced that it has received approval from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) to act as a registered supplier of gaming supplies and services to regulated casinos in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
The approval follows the Company’s news release dated February 6, 2024, announcing the signing of a licensing agreement with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) to install the Company’s Jackpot Blitz dealerless poker ETGs into SIGA casinos.
SIGA operates seven casinos and Playnow.com in Saskatchewan. At the outset, SIGA proposes to install Jackpot Blitz machines at its Dakota Dunes and Gold Horse Casino properties, located in Saskatoon and Lloydminster, respectively.
Jackpot CEO Jake Kalpakian said: “We are excited to receive approval as a gaming equipment supplier in Saskatchewan. This represents the first major jurisdictional, non-tribal license received by Jackpot during our continuing expansion into the land-based casino market. We have many more license applications underway in the US and other Canadian provinces, which will dramatically impact our ability to accelerate the rollout of Jackpot Blitz across North America.”
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