By
Jerry Smith
Staff Writer Updated: 01/15/2020
Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.
Hollywood Casino in Pennsylvania to pay $20,000 for improper poker games., Photo by Pixabay
Hollywood Casino, located at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania, has been fined by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for holding four unauthorized poker tournaments last year. According to the board, the tournaments did not receive proper approval from state regulators.
The casino must pay $20,000 as fine to the state, which is part of a consent agreement signed between the Office of Enforcement Counsel and Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, the operator of the Hollywood Casino.
After becoming aware of the incidents, Alex Hvizda, the Director of Compliance at Hollywood Casino, self-reported the violations. According to his report, the violations included a “Labor Day Classic” poker tournament that was never submitted to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for review because of staff turnover.
Another violation was a recurring poker tournament that was held on weeknights and which required an entry fee of $120 instead of the $80 that the Hollywood management approved. Penn National charged an entry fee of $120 on weekends and $80 on weeknights. According to Hvizda, the tournaments were run at the wrong price for a total of 95 times between February 5 and September 12 in 2019.
Under the rules of the state, the commission’s executive director must approve gaming propositions such as table game plans, tournament schedules, table layouts, schematics of gaming guides, dealer training, as well as signs and equipment.
After the filing of the report, Penn National filed an application for running all of its recurring tournaments at an entry fee of $120. Hvizda said that this would result in bigger prize pools. The application was approved by the state.
Amidst all the drama, Hollywood Casino has been performing extremely well. As per the latest figures from the board, the casino brought in a whopping revenue of $251,351,715 in 2019. In 2018, its total revenue stood at $243 million, which means that the casino has seen a 3.26 percent increase.
Not only this, but Hollywood Casino online gaming also launched a new website pa.hollywoodcasino.com in July. After months of testing by the state’s gaming control board, the website was finally given the green light.
Hollywood Casino wasn’t the only gaming property in Pennsylvania that saw high figures. Casinos across the state reported excellent performances, with total revenue of 2019 standing at more than $3.4 billion – a record high number.
In 2019, the total gaming and fantasy contest generated revenue that is 4.5 percent higher than the 2018 revenue. In 2019, the revenue was a total of $1.4 million, while in 2018, it was slightly lower at $1.3 million. Sources of gaming revenue include table games, slot machines, online gaming, retail and online sports betting, fantasy contests, as well as video gaming terminals.
The state of Pennsylvania has been performing extremely well in the gaming sector. For the fiscal year 2018-2019, gaming revenue stood at $3.3 billion, which was a 1.8 percent increase from the previous high. Pennsylvania also has the second-richest gaming industry in the US, coming second only to Nevada.
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