Pennsylvanians can bet on their smartphones, but PA sports betting regulators levied a $100,000 fine against a casino for taking bets over the phone.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issued a $100,000 fine to Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia for the PA sports betting wagers during Wednesday’s board meeting. Along with the fine, the bettor was placed on the state’s involuntary exclusion list.
The PGCB also added 11 people to the state’s exclusion list for online casino fraud. It denied the removal of two individuals added to the involuntary exclusion list for leaving minors unattended in vehicles in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
PA sports betting phone calls
The board found that over an eight-day span, multiple Live! Casino employees accepted 15 bets totaling $287,421 over the phone.
Bets taken from a phone call at an in-person sportsbook are proxy bets and not allowed in Pennsylvania regulations.
Live! Casino terminated the three employees, while the PGCB revoked their gaming employment licenses.
Pennsylvania iGaming fraud cases
Also on Wednesday, the PGCB’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement found 11 people to be involved in a fraudulent scheme to “obtain an iGaming account and, without engaging in any gaming activity, managed to have funds withdrawn from the iGaming accounts directly into their own bank account.”
They were placed on the state’s involuntary exclusion list. Among the violations were:
- Illegally requesting and receiving chargebacks to a credit card totaling $5,150.
- Creating five separate accounts using other IDs of others and withdrawing $6,195 into their own bank account.
- Creating 14 separate accounts using IDs and credit cards of others and withdrawing $8,595 to their own bank account.
Credit card ban bill
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill to ban credit card funding for online gambling.
The bill, SB 1159, has not passed through either chamber. The legislative session runs through November.
There are three states that prohibit credit card funds with online gambling:
