Pennsylvania’s gambling regulator has fined the operator of the Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia $100,000 for taking sports bets over the phone. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has issued a $100,000 financial penalty to the operator of the Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia for accepting sports bets over the phone. The regulator approved the action against Stadium Casino RE, LLC during Wednesday’s public meeting.

Three staff members at the Live! Casino Sportsbook placed 15 bets on behalf of a customer who communicated with them through their personal phones. The total stakes reached $287,421 over and eight-day period.

casino fired the three employees for their actions

Staff breached numerous rules by doing so, including accepting “proxy wagers” over the phone or placing a wager on behalf of someone else. The casino fired the three employees for their actions, and the PGCB also stripped them of their gaming employment licenses.

The regulator put the person who placed the bets over the phone onto the state’s Involuntary Exclusion List, which means he can no longer engage in gambling in Pennsylvania.

To stop something similar from happening again at its sportsbook, Live! Casino has banned employees from having personal cell phones or smartwatches in the facility and staff have to notify the surveillance team of any bets of at least $10,000.