Two Iowa casinos fined for violations

JOHNSTON – Two Iowa casinos have agreed to fines for admitting people who should not have been allowed inside.

The Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington was fined $20,000 for admitting an underage female who played a slot machine and was served an alcoholic beverage. A security supervisor questioned her identification and discovered she was underage.

The Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque was fined $3,000 for admitting a person who had signed up for the voluntary self-exclusion program. The program was created as a way for problem gamblers or anyone to ban themselves from Iowa casinos.

In this instance, the individual signed up for the voluntary self-exclusion program and later was allowed to gamble at the facility. The individual enrolled in a players' club account with the casino. The error was discovered during an audit of the casino's players' club accounts.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved the penalties at their meeting today.