COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland was hit Wednesday with a $180,000 fine by the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
The OCCC cited violations of Ohio’s Casino Control Act, the Ohio Administrative Code and the casino’s internal controls.
The commission found the casino:
– Used unapproved dice in Fortune Pai Gow Poker, the dice involved were provided by an unapproved vendor
– Allowed for the use of quarters in place of commission-approved $2.50 chips
– Encouraged cocktail servers to enter into restricted and sensitive table game pit areas
In addition, the casino removed, stored and shipped three slot machines with their accompanying software, which is not allowed under state law.
For those infractions, the Horseshoe Cleveland was fined $80,000.
A separate $100,000 fine was issued for violations related to the handling of sensitive security keys and failing to submit complete and accurate problem gambling advertisements to the commission. The ads failed to include the problem gambling hotline number.
“The Casino Control Act exists to ensure the integrity of gaming in the State of Ohio,” said Jo Ann Davidson, chair of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, in a statement.
“In the case of these sanctions, we as regulators found Horseshoe Casino Cleveland failed to adhere to Ohio law and their internal controls, not just once, but repeatedly. We expect strict adherence to the law from the casino properties because it’s what the people of Ohio expect,” Davidson said.
Along with payment of the imposed monetary fines, the commission also required the casino’s management to ensure that its personnel receive additional training in all policies, procedures and internal controls that are relevant to each employee’s individual function.
Horseshoe Casino Cleveland Senior Vice President & General Manager Marcus Glover said in a statement, “We recognize the significance of the matters identified by the Ohio Casino Control Commission and are fully committed to preventing any recurrences.
“We take seriously our compliance with the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Administrative Code, and our Internal Controls and, as General Manager, it is ultimately my responsibility to ensure that our entire team is compliant by strictly adhering to these important operational policies and procedures. We have already taken several steps to address these issues and have also embarked on a significant effort to further train our team on operational and internal control requirements.”
