An underage gambler’s girlfriend ratted him out and got Rivers Casino Philadelphia fined $12,500
Rivers Casino Philadelphia, formerly The Sugar House, is under scrutiny with the PA Gaming Control Board following an instance of underage gambling. This is just the latest in a string of underage gambling offenses that Rivers Casino has incurred and by far the strangest.
So here’s what happened: On September 19, 2020 a young whippersnapper waltzed into the Rivers Casino high stakes black jack room without so much as a cursory ID check by casino staff. He laid down $1,650.00 for chips and played at two separate tables for roughly an hour.
That’s when the story takes a turn for the bizarre.
He could have been gambling all night, but he got caught because his girlfriend tipped off the casino.
That’s right. His own girlfriend flipped on him and after reading the report, no one seems to know why she would do that to her boyfriend.
From the PA Gambling Commission hearing on the matter:
“Sorry,” said Commissioner Frances J. Regan. “Just have to ask: Why did the girlfriend turn him in?”
“I don’t know,” said Donnelly. “I was intrigued by that, too.”
Added Donnelly: “I’m sure it wasn’t a good relationship afterward.”
via The Inquirer
You think so Johnny? Instincts like that, it’s no wonder he works for a casino.
So why did this kid’s girlfriend rat him out? I don’t know why, but I have a few theories:
It’s possible she was mad that he promised to take her out for dinner and got caught up playing black jack. Or maybe she was a big time John Denver fan and was devastated that the evening’s tribute show “Rocky Mountain High Experience” had to be canceled.
It’s also possible she made the classic mistake of assuming she could let one of the staff members in on their fun little secret. It was probably the person bringing them drinks. As we all know, women love to be way too honest with waitstaff.
Whatever the reason was, the boyfriend immediately cracked once security asked him how old he was. Unfortunately, he didn’t have to get carried off to a back room like in the movie Casino. They just made him pay a fine and banned him for life. I’m sure that was devastating for him until he remembered he could just gamble online on shady foreign sites like every other underage college kid.
That’s another mystery. Why did a 20 year old want to hang out in a casino? Is he one of those guys that’s super into Frank Sinatra and hates modern music? Why would anyone not living in a nursing home want to go to a casino when it’s so easy to bet online these days.
Honestly, this page you’re on right now has a list of promos for a bunch of online sports books. You don’t even have to look up from your phone to gamble. Why wander into some germ filled casino?
Rivers Casino Philadelphia wound up having to pay a $12,500.00 fine for letting someone under 21 gamble.
That sounds pretty fair as far as consequences go. I’d imagine the couple is broken up by now. If not they’re definitely miserable and raising a dog together that they’ll fight over when they break up inevitably.
As for Rivers Casino? Their Casino License is up for renewal on April 26th, and this latest round of bad press may hurt their case for renewal. They need to find away to ensure they get that license renewed.
If Martin Scorsese’s films have taught me anything it’s that they need to come out with a public access show hosted by a gangster. Then they can publicly berate the gambling commission into renewing their license. That worked in Casino right? I never finished watching that movie if I’m being honest.
For Readers Over The Age of 21 ONLY
Mandatory Credit: Play Pennsylvania
