Tough Love – Five US casinos decline paying out $77K won by underage gamblers
By Shadrack Kairu
Five US casinos and a race track are taking a hard line regarding underage gambling by forfeiting over $77,000 won by prohibited patrons considered underage.
New Jersey state regulators ordered Resorts Casino Hotel, Ocean Casino Resort, Bally’s, Golden Nugget, Harrah’s and Freehold Raceway to surrender the payouts after investigations found underage gamblers had accrued the winnings against the rules.
The casinos placed funds into escrow temporarily allowing gamblers to prove eligibility. But with no one validating the legal gambling age despite waiting periods, authorities designated the violators as banned “prohibited patrons”. Now forfeited monies totaling $77,600 will go towards assisting state programs that help vulnerable groups.
Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City accounted for the highest forfeiture at over $51,000 accrued from cases that took place since 2020. Investigations revealed that banned underage gamblers or those unable to validate legal ages had accrued slot machine payouts playing games illegally.
Ocean Casino, on its part, relinquished $7,500 while Bally’s casino forfeited $5,600. Freehold Raceway harness racing track and sportsbook surrendered $4,400 and lastly, Golden Nugget and Harrah’s gave up $4,200 and $900 respectively and will now fund state programs instead.
Other US Cases Involved Gamblers On Self-Exclusion Lists
Separately, gamblers caught playing after voluntarily placing themselves onto New Jersey’s confidential “self-exclusion list” registry also faced winnings seizures recently.
This database run by gaming officials allows individuals admitting gambling problems to formally ban themselves statewide, requesting removal from mailing lists plus blocked access from online casinos and forfeiture of any prohibited payouts if caught violating terms.
Once listed, casino compliance staff are required to prevent gaming activities by these patrons. However if incidents occur violating agreements, winnings by self-excluded persons still get surrendered as regulations dictate. Exclusion terms at most US real money online casinos span one year, five years or permanent lifetime bans.
Ongoing enforcement by the casino industry
As the issue of underage gambling continues to pose challenges, the American Gaming Association (AGA) and its casino members have pledged to prioritize responsible gambling policies as an integral part of daily operations across the industry. This includes diligent efforts to prevent minors from accessing casinos and gambling opportunities.
The latest AGA code of conduct states that members must communicate legal gambling ages clearly in properties, online casinos, and promotions. Besides, all customer-facing staff must undergo training on procedures for addressing unattended children, underage gaming, and preventing minors from accessing alcohol and tobacco.
If an unattended child is identified in a casino, security personnel take reasonable steps to locate parents on-site or by phone contact. The code emphasizes: “If a child appears unsupervised or in violation of curfews, security or appropriate personnel must be contacted.”
According to Gary Schneider, a decades-long Gamblers Anonymous member, rising numbers of teens are seeking help for severe gambling problems in recent years:
“In the last year, we are seeing more and more 16-year-olds, 17-year-olds, 18, 19, 22, 24 that are coming in with severe gambling disorders,”
Gary Schneider observed.
Experts also warn online access has “exacerbated” gambling addiction risks by enabling instant betting from mobile devices. “It’s very easy to lose tens of thousands of dollars just by picking up your phone,” said Felicia Grondin of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.
To tighten the noose even further, some gambling companies including some sweeps casinos are now increasingly integrating machine learning and AI to restrict prohibited groups automatically. This is to ensure forged IDs become virtually useless as biometric facial recognition databases expand preventing underage patrons and banned persons from slipping through cracks.
How Parents Can Get Help Around Underage Gambling
One of the biggest modern challenges for parents has to be navigating new threats like underage gambling addiction. Luckily, there are now plenty of support options for concerned parents and guardians including the following:
National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG)
As America’s oldest advocacy group solely countering gambling addiction founded in 1972, NCPG uniquely understands this affliction’s strains on families. So they offer parents multi-format help including a 24/7 confidential helpline, live chat services, webinars, video tutorials, extensive prevention literature and training sessions all focused particularly on youth gambling disorders.
Realizing one-size rarely fits all, offerings range from home-based monitoring controls plus bank activity oversight to frank conversations objectively explaining gambling’s balanced risks versus entertainment realities for teenagers today. Specific parental advice also covers appropriately utilizing activity blocking and detailed accounting software, teaching broader balanced financial and money management life skills as well as tips on selecting qualified counsellors or credentialed therapists during early troubling stages.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
Complementing NCPG’s focus on the practical aspect of gambling, AACAP provides more clinical assistance through online education. This is aimed at unveiling warning signs of addiction like peer pressure, undiagnosed impulse control issues or unresolved emotional problems that disproportionately affect minors. Their searchable database connects affected families to local accredited specialists ranging from counsellors and therapists up to child psychologists and board-certified adolescent psychiatrists.
Some of the treatment avenues covered include both outpatient and intensive inpatient programs using evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) tailored to counteract root causes behind harmful dependencies like gambling. For parents preferring faith-based approaches, AACAP resources also integrate suitable providers espousing applicable spiritual principles into individualized therapies that promote overall positivity.
Gamblers Anonymous (GA)
For over 65 years, the GA program has helped parents, teenagers and anyone else wanting to confidentially share gambling addiction struggles in order to move forward positively day by day.
Multiple free support meetings occur nationwide both virtually and locally in most regions to provide solidarity plus strength and practical lived experience – all necessary when stopping destructive habits like gambling. Attendees find non-judgement talking through challenges among peers who understand the exact difficulties faced. GA also partners frequently with addiction therapists for supplemental care avenues aiding families as part of customized game plans addressing individual needs.
Children and Screens
The non-profit Children and Screens group offers parents assistance through their “Betting on Our Future” program explicitly focused on emerging Generation Z threats from mushrooming gambling outlets and persuasive marketing messages.
Their interdisciplinary experts including child psychologists continually generate adolescent gambling risk studies quantifying impacts. They also provide parental monitoring controls, balanced youth gambling usage advice in an entertainment context, short educational videos and broader advocacy against unrestrained gambling growth’s behavioural effects on highly impressionable kids.
Therapy Insider
Finally, for parents understandably feeling overwhelmed tackling a newly diagnosed gambling disorder affecting their teenager, Therapy Insider delivers an impartial mental health resource consolidating best available treatment guidance in one place. Their searchable addiction therapist directory assists families in identifying fully-qualified counsellors, psychiatrists and dedicated treatment facilities locally using simple screening tools filtering by exact speciality needs around juvenile gambling alongside independent reviews from verified past clients.
Beyond the therapist finder, their services also incorporate useful educational materials conveniently explaining warning signs of gambling addiction, preventative steps cultivating healthier habits and all-important proactive measures avoiding further destructive dependencies threatening adolescents.
The Road Ahead
For a long time, underage gambling wasn’t given the attention it deserves. But finally, authorities are starting to show seriousness by enforcing regulations and now even seizing winnings from underage gamblers. Tougher policies, biometric screening, and forfeitures send a clear message – exploiting minors for profit won’t be tolerated.
Still more is needed, like ramped-up education on gambling addiction and counselling tailored to increasingly tech-savvy youth. Parents must also stay vigilant in monitoring online activities while instilling balanced perspectives on gambling’s risks. Finally, there’s a need for tighter legislation that caps excessive gambling amongst the society’s most vulnerable.
It’s certainly going to be a struggle, but with the renewed efforts, there’s hope for future generations to gain resilience against the harms that come with gambling addiction.