PGCB Adds 18 People to Gambling Exclusion Lists
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HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania regulators added 18 people to state gambling exclusion lists, including four adults who left minors unattended while gambling.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said the action removes statewide gambling privileges from the individuals involved. Placement on an involuntary exclusion list bars a person from gambling at Pennsylvania casinos, regulated online betting sites or video gaming terminal locations.
The board detailed the latest exclusions in its Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announcement, which included cases involving children left in vehicles, a hotel room and casino parking areas while adults gambled.
Four Adults Excluded over Unattended Minors
The PGCB said one female patron left two children, ages 8 and 13, in a vehicle in the Valley Forge Casino Resort parking lot for 52 minutes while she participated in various forms of gambling.
Another female patron left three children, ages 8, 9 and 13, in a hotel room at Mount Airy Casino Resort for 1 hour and 48 minutes while she gambled at table games.
Two other cases involved children left in vehicles. The board said a female patron left a 10-year-old in the parking lot of Live! Casino Philadelphia for 3 hours and 8 minutes while she played slot machines, while a male patron left a 12-year-old in the Hollywood Casino York parking lot for 30 minutes while he played slots.
The regulator said adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in a casino parking lot, garage, hotel or other venue on casino property. It said such conduct can create an unsafe environment for children and may lead to the loss of gambling privileges across the state.
PGCB Continues Child Safety Campaign
The latest action is part of a continuing effort by the PGCB and casino operators to address unattended-minor incidents at gambling properties. The board has also promoted its “Don’t Gamble with Kids” awareness campaign, which reminds adults not to leave children alone while entering a casino or gambling venue.
The issue has been a recurring enforcement concern in Pennsylvania, where regulators have repeatedly placed adults on exclusion lists after children were left in cars, hotel rooms or other areas while gambling activity took place. A similar child-safety concern surfaced recently when Georgia parents were arrested after children were left in a car during gambling.
The latest cases show the board is continuing to treat those incidents as grounds for statewide gambling bans.
Exclusion Lists Grow to 1,481 Names
In addition to the four adults connected to unattended-minor incidents, 14 other people were placed on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List for separate actions. The board said the latest cases were presented by its Offices of Chief Counsel and Enforcement Counsel.
The new actions raise the number of people on the PGCB’s various involuntary exclusion lists to 1,481. Those lists are used to block individuals from participating in gambling activity regulated by the board.
The next PGCB meeting is scheduled for July 22, 2026, in the board’s public hearing room at the Strawberry Square Complex in Harrisburg. The regulator said more information, including the meeting agenda, will be posted on its website before the session.
For Pennsylvania casinos and online operators, the latest action reinforces the regulator’s position that patron conduct away from the gaming floor can still carry gambling consequences. For players, the message is direct: leaving children unattended while gambling can result in a statewide ban.
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