Atlantic City Working To Stop Underage Gambling At Casinos

Underage gamblers are always going to try to find their way into a casino. The problem for casinos has been that even if they detect the underage gambler, they had no rights to detain them until police arrived, so the minor gamblers would just flee.

That is no longer going to be a problem in AC. The state Casino Control Commission approved a new measure on Wednesday that will allow security at the casinos to detain the underage gamblers until the local authorities arrive. This is a big step in stopping underage gambling in the city.

The casinos are overjoyed with the new measure. They were the ones that were hit with large fines every time an underage gambler was caught in their casino. They now will have more power to police the situation on their own, but some people are still skeptical.

"These casinos could have done a better job policing underage gambling even before this measure," said observer Larry Brailst, "they had every right to kick the minors out of their casino. The only difference now is the minor will be reprimanded for attempting to gamble."

Last year, there were 403 underage gamblers caught in AC casinos. That is only the ones that were identified. It is estimated that thousands of underage gamblers enter the casinos annually.

Those minors caught drinking are also covered under the new measure. If an underage drinker is caught by the casino, they too may be detained until police arrive. Some of the casinos have been hit with fines up to $157,500.

July 16, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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