Ohio Casino Control Commission issues its first fine; Horseshoe Cleveland to pay $15,000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - As casino violations go it won’t end up in the headlines or make for the perfect subplot of the next Vegas-based Hollywood movie, nevertheless, the Ohio Casino Control Commission Wednesday issued its very first fine against a casino.

The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland was fined $15,000 for using a particular version of software used in providing customers promotional slot play that had not previously been tested and approved by the commission.

It was Horseshoe Cleveland that recognized the error and self-reported the misstep to the commission last September.

The fine, which goes into the commission’s general fund, is the first issued against any of the three casinos that began operating in Ohio last year.

The incident is an example of how closely all operations of a casino are watched. While it is the first fine issued, judging by other state’s with gambling, it won’t be the last.

Pennsylvania, for example, has fined a number of casinos over the last year for instances where either underage gamblers or those previously banned in the state were allowed to gamble.

Examples of fines in those instances ranged from $15,000 against the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia for three incidents where people previously banned were allowed to gamble to $45,000 against the Rivers Casino for four separate instances where there were underage gamblers.

In New Jersey last summer, two casinos were hit with fines totaling nearly $200,000. Bally’s Atlantic City, which is owned by Caesars Entertainment, had to pay $105,000 in fines for not fully staffing its security in spots and allowing underage and those on the banned list to gamble.

Trump Taj Mahal was fined $91,000 for using unshuffled cards in a mini-baccarat game.