New Jersey woman who is banned from casino for life wins jackpot and sparks controversy
A woman has found herself in the very unfortunate position where she won a casino's jackpot, but she'll be unlikely to claim her winnings.
The 69-year-old woman, whose name has not been shared, won the jackpot on a slot machine at Hollywood Casino in Grantville, Pennsylvania.
There are more than 1,500 on the casino floor, each of which have a different jackpot amount. Per the casino's website, one person recently won $179,623, with another lucky individual bagged a $81,824 jackpot.
Another person, named on the site as Nina, won $41,635. It's unclear how much the New Jersey woman in question won over the weekend, but it's believed she will not receive the payment.
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The woman had to be removed from the casino by police in light of the fact that she had a lifetime ban from all Pennsylvania casinos, per The Independent.
She is said to have been banned in 2019 after requesting to be part of a 'Self-exclusion Program'. You can ask to be banned for a period of one year, five years, or for life.
Many people part of the program are battling addiction issues.
What is self-exclusion?
Per the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the program 'allows a person to request to be excluded from legalized gaming activities within a casino and offsite venues, online, at VGT establishments or on fantasy contests'.
It's aimed at individuals with gambling problems to distance themselves from the temptation of gambling.
Will she get to keep the money?
While it has been reported that it is unclear if the woman can been her winnings, the PGCB says that those part of the its program cannot collect winnings while banned.
It states: "Individuals who enroll in self-exclusion are prohibited from collecting any winnings, recovering any losses or accepting complimentary gifts or services or any other thing of value from a licensee or operator."
Instead, the money may go to the PGCB.
PGCB spokesperson Doug Harbach previously told WeAreGreenBay.com that jackpots forfeited by people like the woman go to the organization and are used to fight gambling addiction.
Police report
As well as not getting her winnings, a police report stated that the authorities planned on filing a Non-Traffic Citation for trespassing against her.
The report read: "On the above stated date and time [15:37 on May 31], the Pennsylvania State Police at Hollywood Casino - Penn National were contacted by Hollywood Casino - Penn National Surveillance who reported a female guest on the gaming floor had been identified as being lifetime self-excluded after she won a slot machine jackpot.
"Troopers reviewed all information involved and confirmed the female guest had voluntarily self-excluded herself for lifetime exclusion status in 2019. Troopers made contact with the female who was escorted off the property."
Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline on 1-800-GAMBLER, 24/7.
Topics: Pennsylvania , Money, US News
Niamh Shackleton