The Ohio Casino Control Commission imposed a six-figure fine on Jack Entertainment, as it failed to meet the requirements of the Ohio Administrative Code, allowing minors into the Cleveland casino and also providing unauthorized employees with access to the computer management program for the Cleveland and Cincinnati casinos.
Under a settlement agreement, that was approved on Wednesday, 16th August, Jack Entertainment is to pay a hefty fine of $200,000. Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati and Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, formerly owned by Rock Ohio Caesars LLC, were privatized by Jack Entertainment last year. Commission spokeswoman Jessica Franks explained that this is not the first time, in which the company violates the law, since the opening of the two gaming facilities.
Ms. Franks also pointed out that the Cleveland casino lacks the needed qualified and trained security staff. That is the reason why the casino operator fails to restrict players under the age of 21 to enter the casino floors. She also explained that the security personnel did not comply with certain operating regulations, even though the casino operator provided all of its employees with a special training in December last year.
Ms. Franks explained that the commission is aware of the challenging task for the casino operator to keep all the underaged “players” away from the casino entrances due to the specific location. But she added that the security employees also did not follow the exact instructions to check all the players, who might be under the age of 21.
In an official statement, Matt Cullen, Jack Chief Executive Officer, explained that the company is placing efforts to adjust their operational framework in accordance with the regulator’s legal requirements. He added that he is well-aware of the importance of the matters pointed by the state gambling regulator.
In addition to that, during a special audit, the gambling watchdog also found out that the casino operator allowed too many employees to have access to the computer management program, which keeps players’ personal data. Under the state’s legal framework, only certain amount of people, specially authorized for that task, are allowed to have access to the computer management program.
The commission explained that the casino received more than one warnings to fix the aforementioned issues, but the casino operator did not address the problem in a timely manner. That is the reason why the commission scourged Jack Entertainment with a fine of $200,000. Apart from the fine, the casino operator is obliged to provide all the casino employees with professional security training.
This is not the first time that the Cleveland casino was fined by the Ohio Casino Control Commission. There are some more cases, in which the two casinos failed to meet the commission’s requirements. The most recent sanction was imposed on Cleveland casino in 2015. The casino operator needed to pay $175,000, as Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati and Horseshoe Casino Cleveland failed to meet surveillance systems requirements.
