Unattended children continue to be a problem at state’s casinos
Campaign unveiled as number of cases has been rising
Every month, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has to deal with hundreds of unattended children at the state’s 16 casinos, including Wind Creek Bethlehem.
With the number of those cases steadily on the rise, the state on Wednesday unveiled its Don’t Gamble with Kids campaign.
The campaign will include television and radio public service announcements, social media posts and videos, printed materials and a website, www. DontGamblewithKids.org.
This year, the gaming board’s Bureau of Casino Compliance has recorded 269 incidents involving 441 children who were left unattended, up from the 171 incidents involving 279 minors in 2021, when the board began tracking such figures.
Wind Creek’s latest incident was in October, when a man left three children, ages 13, 12 and 10, unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot. The children were unattended for 12 minutes while the adult observed table games. He was placed on the state’s Involuntary Exclusion List, according to a news release from the board.
A Wind Creek spokesperson was unavailable for comment, but the Bethlehem casino reported 147 incidents involving 268 children from 2018-21, and another 43 between April 2021 and April of this year.
“This has been an issue dating back to the opening of casinos in 2006,” Gaming Control Board Executive
Director Kevin O’Toole said in a statement. “However, as the number of venues has increased and new types of gaming have been added, more incidents have been reported,”
O’Toole said the frequency of these events
led the PGCB to initiate the awareness program with two audiences in mind — those responsible for children, and the general public visiting casinos.
“We are hopeful this campaign will raise aware
ness not only for those who gamble and are responsible for children, but also for the gaming public who we hope will be more diligent in looking out for children at risk,” he said.
Besides facing criminal charges and investigation by social service agencies, guardians who leave a child unattended also face a possible lifetime ban from the casino where the incident took place along with being placed on a statewide exclusion list.
In the spring, Wind Creek was the second facility in the state to present a mitigation plan to the PGCB. It will spend more than $4 million to improve security throughout the South Side property to look out for minors, who have been found alone in hotel rooms, lobbies and other common areas.
In a presentation to the board in May, Wind Creek said it plans to:
■ Make sure customers are aware. Signs reminding customers to not leave children unattended have been posted throughout the complex, on parking garage and food court entrances, tables and display boards. People staying in the hotel will have a reminder on their key jackets, and the policy will be mentioned to all customers checking into the hotel. ■Use outside security.
Wind Creek is spending $4.1 million for security firm Allied Universal to patrol parking areas, the outlet mall and the food court.
■Have more employee training. The policy will be emphasized during employee orientation. Vendors who run the food court and KidsQuest will also receive further training, while the latter will install a card reader/door swipe system.
“Wind Creek Bethlehem has a zero tolerance policy for those who leave children unattended,” the casino said then. “Those who do are permanently evicted, and could be prosecuted by the Bethlehem Police Department.”