Valley Forge Casino Resort near Philadelphia, PA, has been fined $30,000 for allowing a 13-year-old to gamble on slot machines for over three hours.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) said on Wednesday that Boyd Gaming-owned Valley Forge agreed to pay the penalty after the minor was able to access the casino floor for more than six hours in November 2024 with his father.
A consent agreement obtained by SBC Americas detailed that on Nov. 18 last year, the boy and his father were on-site at the casino from 1:47 p.m. until 7:50 p.m. The child was allowed to access the casino floor using the legitimate ID of his dad, born in 1992.
Boy gambled $1,640 over three hours
The document stated that the underage son spent the majority of his time in the presence of his father and was given $600 in bills by his dad. He used that cash, plus more than $1,000 in gaming vouchers, to put a total of $1,640 into five separate slot machines over the course of more than three hours.
He was also served two sodas and a beer by staff without being asked for ID, but the notice said there is no evidence that he consumed any alcohol himself.
People under 21 years old are prohibited by Pennsylvania law from gambling in casinos or from being in areas where slot machines or table games are playable. SBC Americas reached out to Boyd for comment.
Father and son denied entry the next morning
The father and son tried to go back to the casino floor soon after 8 a.m. the next day, but were denied entry. A review by staff found they had been allowed onto the floor together the previous day, and soon revealed the underage gambling activity. Casino staff immediately notified state police and the Bureau of Casino Compliance, stated the PGCB, and the father and son were evicted from the premises.
Police issued the father a citation for “aiding and abetting” and the son was charged with summary counts of entering and playing in a casino while underage.
Valley Forge issued warnings to all security officers and the drinks server involved and mandated that all security staff undergo a refresher training course. As part of the settlement, the casino was ordered to immediately institute policies and provide training to minimize the chance of future offenses.
Boyd employee data compromised in cyber-attack
The PGCB’s confirmation of the Valley Forge fine came the day after Boyd Gaming filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 23 to report a cyberattack that compromised employee data.
An unauthorized third party accessed the company’s internal IT systems and removed data including employee information. Boyd said that the breach had no impact on its properties or business operations and will not have a material adverse effect.
The company maintains comprehensive cybersecurity insurance coverage which it expects will cover costs associated with incident response and forensic investigations, as well as business interruptions, legal actions and regulatory fines, subject to policy limits and deductibles.
That breach comes after other gaming companies recently reported cybersecurity attacks. Toronto-based supplier Bragg Gaming Group said an incident last month did not affect its operations or bottom line, while Ainsworth and IGT suffered breaches in 2024. In a more damaging instance, MGM Resorts International estimated it lost around $100 million as a result of a September 2023 cyberattack,
