Play’n Go fined $10,000 in Pennsylvania for failure to obtain change of control approval

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has fined Play’n Go New Jersey $10,000 for failing to obtain Board approval for a change in control, issued during the regulator’s public monthly meeting on April 29. 

Play’n Go was originally approved to operate in Pennsylvania during April 2024, having been granted a license by the PGCB. At the time of announcement, Pennsylvania represented Play’n Go’s sixth US license, joining New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia and Connecticut. 

The PGCB also fined Valley Forge Convention Center Partners – the operator of Valley Forge Casino Resort – $5,000 for failure to protect assets involving a theft of money by an employee. 

In additional regulatory action, the PGCB placed five individuals on its involuntary exclusion lists, which prohibit individuals from either gambling in a Pennsylvania casino, through a regulated online betting site or at video gaming terminal locations. 

BetMGM also received a fine from the Pennsylvania regulator on March 25, having failed to provide sufficient know-your-customer (KYC) protocols and allowing individuals to create multiple betting accounts using stolen personal information and payment devices.

As a result of the KYC protocol failures, four individual fraud rings were identified by the PGCB, each of which had been operational for at least 19 months. One fraud ring launched 1,567 different betting accounts using stolen information and eventually wagered over $229,000 through BetMGM platforms. 

Two additional rings would total $895,092 and $867,910 of combined wagering, respectively, having used 119 and 304 different betting accounts with fraudulent personal information. 

While the final fraud ring identified by the PGCB used 34 different betting accounts and wagered a combined $14,598, the accounts remained active for approximately 34 months before being shut down.