Iowa Casino Pays Hefty Fine for Underage Gambler

A casino in Iowa paid a hefty fine for allowing an underage gambler into its casino to gamble. The female gambler managed to lose money in the casino. However, she did not lose as much money as the $20,000 fine the casino paid for allowing her to play. The Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort in Larchwood received the fine at the monthly meeting of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Iowa Gaming

Currently, Iowa has 22 casinos. There are three Native American casinos and 19 commercial casinos. The casinos range in size from small card rooms to large facilities. There are casinos all over the state but, mostly, they in areas that are close to large cities. There are casinos near Des Moines, Sioux City, and Ames. There are also casinos close to the towns that border South Dakota, Nebraska, and Illinois.

The Grand Falls Casino

The Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood is very close to Sioux Falls, S.D. The casino resort sits on a championship 18-hole golf course. There are 100 rooms in the resort, with large suites available. The casino has slots and table games, such as blackjack, poker, craps, and roulette. Grand Falls also has 23 table games and 900 slot machines available. In addition, the casino offers tournaments and monthly contests.

The Fine

The Grand Falls Casino got kudos from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission because it reported the violation. Earlier this year, an underage female was in the casino and gambled for five hours. She was there with two adult friends who were over 21, which is the legal age for gambling in Iowa. The casino did not check their identification when they entered. The group went into the casino, gambled for a few hours, and, then, left. When the group returned, the casino checked their IDs. At that time, the security did not allow the underage customer back in. In an interview with security, she revealed she had gambled earlier in the day.

Grand Falls Casino had not had an underage violation in four years. The commission considered the time that had passed since its last violation when deciding on the penalty. A fine of $20,000 will ensure the casino notices potential problems in the future.

This is not the first time this casino has had a problem. In October 2017, police arrested 11 people on drug charges at a Cheech and Chong concert. Authorities charged some of them with possession. Others received charges of distribution. At least one person had an outstanding warrant. Police officers were at the casino at the time to provide security. There had been an increase in the number of calls to the casino during the fall of 2017. People reported cars being broken into and property being stolen. There was also a fight in the parking lot. However, since the increased police presence and the drug arrests, the casino had been peaceful.

The commissioners pointed out that Grand Falls has had an excellent track record for reporting possible violations to the commission. This is important because failure to report a violation could result in an even heftier fine. The casino could also lose its gaming license. Grand Falls Casino said that the infraction was a misstep by its security staff. Its staff members have undergone additional training to make sure they ask adults for identification when they enter the casino. The Grand Falls Casino has also discussed the possibility of hiring additional security. This would ensure that the casino entrance always has security staff available day and night.

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A Massachusetts native, blogger Angeline Everett grew up in the Allston neighborhood of Boston and earned a degree in casino management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After graduating, Angeline moved to Atlantic City where she joined the young team at the Borgata Casino as a compliance representative, while blogging on the side. After a few years in the back office, Angeline moved to the floor to work first at a casual poker dealer and later casual poker floor supervisor. Fascinated with games of chance since she was a child, Angeline currently divides her time between blogging and work on her first book.