It has been announced that a racino operator has agreed to pay a total of $1 million in fines after the presiding gaming control authority came down hard on the organization on Wednesday (December 13).
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that Downs Racing, LP, the operator of Mohegan Sun Pocono, had been handed both a $550,000 fine and a $450,000 fine for a pair of infractions.
The $550,000 fine was for failure over a multi-year period to follow approved internal controls in regard to free slot play, the main bank, and internal audits.
According to an article by the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, Mohegan Sun Pocono did not follow the approved controls which resulted in a trio of individuals conducting a fraud scheme over a 12-month period. The scheme involved free slot play and the theft of cash as a result of inflated payouts to patrons. The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader piece also states that the casino failed to submit audits six times during a four-year time period.
The control board has explained that the $450,000 fine was for Mohegan Sun Pocono conducting business with unlicensed gaming service providers.
The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader report states that the unlicensed vendors were ReferLocal LLC and CB POC LLC. Last month, Bobby Soper, the former CEO of Downs Racing LP, was fined $60,000 by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for failing to disclose particular business interests during his time with Downs Racing LP. The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader piece has stated that Soper had an interest in ReferLocal LLC at the time.
(With files from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader)