The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) kicked off the year on a rather high note through a very radical move that is intended to help it clean up its gambling industry. An Involuntary Exclusion List that comprises of a total of 809 names has now been made available to the public. The individuals that have been listed will not be allowed to access any gambling venue in the Keystone State.
Who is on the List?
Generally speaking, all of the people that have been added to the Involuntary Exclusion List have previously committed gambling-related offenses. However, the offenses vary from one person to the next. Still, all of them were things that the state gaming control board felt warranted them being banned from gaming venues.
The Involuntary Exclusion List has a total of 648 men and 161 men. All of their names and photos have been made public for easier identification. That is, in case they make attempts to access casinos in the state. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of career and professional offenders as well as cheaters on the list. Also, there were 215 who found guilty of theft while 205 were guilty of cheating at some gambling venues. There were also 93 individuals who were listed for offenses relating to child endangerment. 85 of the individuals on the list were underage when they were found at the gambling venues.
Other offenses that some of the listed individuals committed included controlled substance use, disorderly conduct, counterfeiting and aiding underage people to access the casinos.
Listing Is Not Permanent
Fortunately, there are ways through which people on the list can get unlisted. Everyone who the board wants to place on the list receives a notification in advance. This gives them a chance to argue their cases and, where possible, keep their names out of the list. However, getting listed does not necessarily mean that they will never enjoy gambling ever again. Individuals who have been in the Involuntary Exclusion List for at least five years will be able to apply for removal.
While 809 may seem like a pretty large number, it is not nearly as bad as what was the case a few years ago. Thanks to a recent policy change regarding the list, the board no longer adds offenders under the age of 21. Instead, they are simply escorted outside the gambling premises. As it turns out, the underage individuals whose names and photos were included in the list were having some unanticipated problems. The board strongly felt that this was rather unfair since the individuals were facing unintended consequences in somewhat unrelated scenarios such as finding employment.