January 5th, 2011 – by Glen Farmer
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission is set to dole out several fines to Atlantic City Casinos who have recently commit infractions. A total of $115,000 will be handed out due to the incidents that have occurred.
The fines are being handed out Wednesday. The reasons cited were underage gambling and drinking, someone other than a winner to fill out tax forms for jackpots, the fact that casinos failed to quickly catch a cheating dealer and customer, as well as a faulty alarm system that allowed a thief to walk off with over $8,000 after holding up a cashier.
The largest of the fines was slapped against Tropicana Casino and Resort. They were the ones responsible for not being prompt with the apprehension of the dealer and customer who had been cheating at a table game for nearly seven months. Their scam ended in May 2009. A blackjack dealer had failed at properly collecting losing bets and paying winners, as well as failing to detect a cheat.
Caesars Atlantic City received their fine for $10,000 due to an incident in which a silent alarm failed to perform twice. A robber got away with $8,000 in cash.
The Trump Plaza Hotel Casino received a $20,000 fine for letting a player under the age of 21 hit the slot machines, roulette, and a few card games. Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort was then fined $15,000 for allowing a 20 year old to play blackjack for almost an hour before he was discovered to be underage. The Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort was also fined for an underage gambling. A 20 year old female was allowed to drink and play slots during May of 2010.
In January, the state Assembly is set to consider a bill that would deregulate the casino industry in the state, which would let the casinos police themselves. It would eliminate the law that requires at least one state inspector to be on the floor of each casino 24 hours a day. Whether or not the casinos will be able to police themselves in a fair and just manner is a subject of great debate and criticism.