Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino Jackpot Won by Self-Excluded Individual

Harrah s Philadelphia Casino wrongly allowed a woman access who had previously self-excluded herself from all commercial gaming establishments in the commonwealth.

A security guard surveys the Harrah s Philadelphia Casino floor. Pennsylvania State Police says the Caesars Entertainment property allowed a banned individual to gamble last month. (Image: Casino.org)

The Pennsylvania State Police s Bureau of Gaming Enforcement revealed in its August blotter that a 59-year-old woman from Ridley Park which is less than two miles from Harrah s was able to make her way through security at the casino operated by Caesars Entertainment despite being on the state s self-exclusion list.

Law enforcement says the woman proceeded to play slot machines during the early morning hours of August 26. At around 12:22 am EST, the woman reportedly hit a slot machine jackpot. But since she s on the self-exclusion list and therefore not supposed to be on a casino floor, she tried to exit the property without collecting the winnings.

Casino security tracked her down on her way out, only to discover that she was a prohibited person. State police did not reveal how large the jackpot was, nor when the woman decided to exclude herself from gambling in Pennsylvania.

Harrah s Philadelphia . The casino is owned by Caesars real estate investment trust VICI Properties. The 100,000-square-foot gaming floor is occupied by 1,700 slots, more than 100 table games, and a Caesars Sportsbook.

Responsible Gaming Safeguards

Every state that has legalized commercial gambling has implemented an array of programs and resources to . And a pillar of responsible gaming is self-exclusion.

Self-exclusion allows a person to request to be excluded from legalized gaming activities within a casino and offsite venues, online, at video gaming terminal (VGT) establishments, or on fantasy contests, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) said. Individuals who enroll in self-exclusion are prohibited from collecting any winnings, recovering any losses or accepting complimentary gifts or services or any other thing of value from a licensee or operator.

In Pennsylvania, the person enrolling for exclusion determines the length of his or her ban. State police say the 59-year-old who was wrongly given access to Harrah s Casino had opted for a lifetime ban.

The PGCB will likely impose a fine against Harrah s Philadelphia for its regulatory infraction.

During the gaming regulator s July meeting, the PGCB issued Live! Casino Pittsburgh a $7,500 fine for allowing a self-excluded person access. In that incident, a self-excluded individual not only was allowed to gamble at a table game, but also received a cash advance from the casino s cashier cage.

Pursuant to PGCB regulations, a casino must identify self-excluded patrons and refuse gaming privileges and other gaming-related activities such as the cashing of checks or cash advances, the PGCB commented.

Self-Exclusion Confidential

Unlike casino black lists that involve state regulators banning individuals from gaming who are known to be bad actors, self-exclusion lists are typically kept confidential out of the public realm.

The PGCB maintains the self-exclusion list and only provides the Rolodex to its licensed casinos and gaming operators.

While the ban applies only to casinos inside Pennsylvania, some companies like Penn Entertainment maintain a company self-exclusion list across all of its properties. For example, the woman involved in the Harrah s incident supposedly wouldn t have access to Penn Entertainment casinos in Pennsylvania, nor its casinos anywhere else in the US.