Pennsylvania: Casinos young at heart

Casinos young at heart
By Eric Heyl, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW


Let youth be served at the slot machines.

That evidently is the unofficial policy of several Pennsylvania casinos that regularly attract a younger demographic. Might it be time to formalize that policy?

In the rare downtime when it isn't being investigated by grand juries, the state Gaming Control Board occasionally punishes casinos for various regulatory infractions. On Wednesday, the agency penalized three of them for underage wagering incidents.

Rivers Casino on the North Shore was among those establishments. It was fined $80,000 for 11 instances of permitting people under the age of 21 to gamble. State law requires people to be at least that age to enter slot machines or table games areas.

This wasn't the Rivers' first violation. In February, the board leveled its largest-ever fine for underage gambling — $105,000 — on the Rivers for seven other incidents.

That followed a January 2010 fine of $10,000 after a 14-year-old and 15-year-old were observed playing the slots. Apparently they initially avoided detection by wearing fake beards and shoe lifts.

To its credit, the Rivers wasn't penalized at all for underage wagering before that. Cynics might contend that exemplary record is solely because of the fact the place didn't open until August 2009, but I prefer to credit the watchful eyes of the crack security team at the construction site.

Said Rivers spokesman Jack Horner of this latest fine: "We respect the decision of the Gaming Board."

That understated response indicates the casino isn't very upset. Perhaps it's taking in more money from underage wagerers than it pays in penalties.

If that's the case, why not bring transparency and intellectual honesty to the situation? Why doesn't the Rivers, or any other casino, open its doors to gamblers of all ages and accept whatever fines would be levied for operating a designated kids area?

Such a move wouldn't require much renovation. Let's compare the gaming space of your typical casino to a popular children's entertainment emporium:

• Rivers: Large room in which adults sit mindlessly before machines with hypnotic sounds and flashing lights, constantly feeding them money in hopes of winning a jackpot.

• Chuck E. Cheese: Large room in which kids sit mesmerized before machines with hypnotic sounds and flashing lights, constantly feeding them tokens in hopes of winning enough tickets to cash in for balloons, pencil sets or plush toys.

It would be child's play to let children play at the Rivers.

Just rope off a section of the slots parlor and call it the Tributary, perhaps add a few custom-made slot machines featuring the likenesses of Selena Gomez or Phineas and Ferb.

If management wanted to go all-out, it could add a dining area featuring corn dogs and cotton candy, and occasionally bring in magicians and other kid-oriented entertainers to perform.

Opening a children's area would be the ideal way for the Rivers to solve its recurring problems with underage gamblers, but that move also could provide some ancillary benefits.

Even grown-up gamblers might enjoy the puppet shows.