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Posted on: September 26, 2025, 09:50h.
Last updated on: September 26, 2025, 09:50h.
- Valley Forge Casino Resort allowed a 13-year-old to gamble
- The teen was accompanied by his father
- The casino has paid a $30K civil penalty to resolve the matter
A Pennsylvania casino is in hot water after it allowed a 13-year-old boy to gamble on slot machines for more than six hours.
In what is certainly among the more egregious regulatory violations Casino.org has reported on of late, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has handed down a $30K penalty against the operator of Valley Forge Casino Resort for permitting the young teen access to its gaming floor.
The PGCB reports that on Nov. 17, 2024, a 32-year-old father and his 13-year-old son, with the date of birth of Dec. 20, 2010, arrived at the Boyd Gaming-run casino at 1:47 pm.
According to the state’s probe of the matter, Valley Forge Casino Resort security personnel had an issue initially scanning the father’s identification. When the first security officer couldn’t get the father’s ID to scan, another security officer took the identification to another scanner, where it was successfully processed.
After scanning the identification, the second security officer returned the identification to the father, believing the father had presented the identification and then permitted the underage individual and his father to enter the gaming floor,” the PGCB account detailed.
13-Year-Old Gambles, Cashes
In the consent agreement, the PGCB’s Office of Enforcement Counsel outlined that upon entry, the father and son gambled on the Valley Forge Casino floor for more than six hours until about 7:50 pm. The son “spent the majority of this time” watching his father gamble, but also engaged in gaming activity “by inserting funds into slot machines, cashing out vouchers … and actively gaming at multiple slot machines with his father.”
The OEC findings, with the aid of casino surveillance, said the father gave the 13-year-old $600 in cash to gamble. The teen ultimately ended up inserting $1,040 into slots during the six hours, which included the $600 and $440 in gaming winnings via vouchers. Casino surveillance captured the teen playing five slot machines and gambling a total of $1,640 during the span.
Casino waitstaff served the teen a soda and a beer, though the alcoholic beverage was handed to his father. The PGCB says there is no evidence to suggest that the 13-year-old consumed alcohol while in the casino area.
The following morning, around 8:16 am, the father and son tried to enter the casino again, but this time they were turned away after their IDs were properly scanned, and the son was denied entry. A subsequent investigation was launched by the casino, which determined the prior day’s wrongdoing.
Remedial Measures
Valley Forge Casino Resort management immediately reported the incident to the Bureau of Casino Compliance. The casino issued “final written warnings” to the two security officers involved in the underage access breach, which skips three levels of disciplinary action in the casino’s system of progressive discipline (verbal coaching, documented verbal warning, and written warning).
As a further measure, all casino security personnel were required to undergo refresher training. Other casino workers who interacted with the underage person or were within close proximity were also given warnings.
Boyd Gaming has paid the $30K civil penalty, with $2,500 covering the state’s costs in handling the matter. Most of the money goes to the General Fund, which supports various public services.
The father pleaded guilty to a summary “unlawful to permit persons under 21.” The juvenile was charged with two summaries — “unlawful to enter and remain in a facility under 21 years of age,” and “unlawful for a person under 21 to wager/play slots.” Because he is a juvenile, his disposition is not publicly available.
