A troubled gambler on the voluntary self-exclusion list has successfully petitioned to have his money returned after confiscation.
Key takeaways:
- A player on the voluntary exclusion list got their money confiscated after playing slot machine games at a casino in PA
- The player petitioned the PGCB to have their money returned
- The PGCB approves the motion to have the funds reimbursed
A player, only identified as ES, who placed himself on the voluntary self-exclusion list for life has approached the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) seeking to have confiscated funds returned after visiting a PA casino.
Details of the case
The Gaming Act states that when a person on the self-exclusion list is found in a Pennsylvania casino, winnings from that person are to be confiscated and used to support anti-compulsive gambling activities.
On the 17th of November 2021, ES registered on the self-exclusion list selecting the lifetime exclusion option. He anonymously visited Parx casino on the 7th of August 2022 and played slots and table games.
After playing for approximately two hours, casino operators identified ES as a troubled gambler whose name is on the self-exclusion register, subsequently escorting him out. At that time, the casino confiscated $1,419, since they identified the money as illegal winnings.
The Petition
Following the incident, ES filed a petition request on the 24th of October 2022 for the full confiscated amount to be returned. In his argument, ES stated that the confiscated money was not winnings but personal funds he had brought in.
In making its decision, the PGCB took into consideration a report from an investigation carried out by the Office of Enforcement Council (OEC) stating that the source of the funds could not be determined.
As a result of the lack of evidence, the motion to have the full confiscated amount returned to ES was adopted by the PGCB.