Hollywood Casino Toledo faces $4,000 fine

4 slot machines not sealed, verified by Ohio commission

6/17/2014

At least four slot machines operated by Hollywood Casino Toledo were not sealed or verified by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, a violation for which the casino faces a $4,000 fine.

The state commission that regulates and investigates Ohio’s casinos sent a violation notice to the Toledo casino in late April, and the commission at a Wednesday meeting will consider a settlement agreement to resolve the issue.

Hollywood Casino Toledo allegedly operated at least four slot machines that had not been verified or sealed by the commission, a violation of state administrative code. The slot machines were in use for about 251 days and were identified by the casino in October, when it notified the commission of the unverified machines, according to the violation notice sent by the state.

“This was a procedural violation and did not impact the outcome of play on the machines. Our investigation found the software was identical to what was tested and approved by the commission,” stated commission spokesman Tama Davis in an email to The Blade.

A proposed settlement agreement calls for the casino to pay a $4,000 fine, conduct a full-floor audit to make sure all slot machines are verified and sealed, and make sure employees are appropriately trained.

Penn National Gaming, Inc. doesn’t typically comment on matters going before the commission until after the meeting, said its Ohio spokesman Bob Tenenbaum.

“In this case, I do think it’s important to point out that the situation involving the seals on the machines did not affect the outcome of the game,” he said. “It didn’t change the operation of the game at all.”

The East Toledo gambling site, which opened in late May of 2012, was sanctioned once before by the commission in August, 2013. It was was fined $30,000 in that incident, which involved a table game that was in play without surveillance and three slot machines that did not have the proper verification and seal.

The commission has signed a total of five settlement agreements with casinos for violations since they began operating in Ohio in 2012.

Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com, or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.