Officials with a North American Standardbred raceway recently announced that individuals under the age of 18 are no longer welcome at their facility.

On October 7, Empire Resorts, Inc., which operates Monticello Raceway in New York State, announced that in an effort to prevent underage gambling at Monticello Casino & Raceway (MCR), Empire implemented a new policy that requires individuals to be 18 years of age or older to enter and remain in MCR, effective October 10, 2014.

Empire’s new policy was authorized by the New York State Gaming Commission.

The release goes on to explain that prior to the implementation of the new policy, underage individuals, with adult supervision, were permitted in certain non-gaming areas of MCR. The purpose of the new policy is to serve as a deterrent to adults that are tempted to permit their underage children to join them on the gaming floor, as well as to remove the temptation of unauthorized gambling by youth that may attempt to sneak on the gaming floor and that are too young to recognize the risks associated with underage gambling.

To view Empire’s official release, click here.

(With files from Empire Resorts, Inc.)