Casinos in Maryland have been warned to be more stringent in imposing age limits on their casinos. Those who fail to do so may receive more than just a slap on the wrist from gambling regulators.
A consent agreement was signed last week by gambling regulators and the state’s casinos, calling for financial penalties for any casino who will be found in volition of underage gambling. It’s a smart step to take for both parties in light of the growing occurrences of young people getting to gamble in these casinos despite not having lived to see their 21st birthdays yet. With these fines in place, the state can impose a penalty of no more than $5,000 per incident to any casino in volition of this new rule.
This year alone, the state has reported a little over 30 known violations for underage gambling, including at least four instances from Maryland Live! and a pair of from Hollywood Casino in Perryville. Under the newly signed agreement, both Maryland Live! and Hollywood Casino are still liable to pay their respective fines, specifically the $20,000 fine for Mayland Live and the $10,000 fine for Hollywood Casino.
With this new policy in place, the state’s casinos are looking to take it to whole new level in the near future with the idea of adopting a complete, zero-tolerance policy against any of the state’s existing casinos who are found to be violating this new rule.
Ultimately, it shouldn’t take a significant bite off of the state’s growing revenue numbers; it should just keep all bases covered, especially with more and more underaged boys and girls getting unwarranted access to any of the state’s casinos.
