What happened when a self-excluded player hit a jackpot in Pennsylvania? The state police came.

Self-exclusion programs in Pennsylvania and other states are normally quite effective at barring problem gamblers from playing. However, one PA woman was recently able to bypass her self-exclusion status, and believe it or not, she hit a slots jackpot. What happened next might shock some.

The self-excluded woman won while playing slot machines at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. An attendant who was validating her information for a W2-G tax form discovered that she had self-excluded in 2019.

Players who self-exclude from state gambling markets are prohibited from entering retail casinos, sportsbooks, and other types of gambling facilities. 

They're also barred from playing iPoker and online casino games for real money.

The woman who won the jackpot at Hollywood Casino Penn National has excluded herself in Pennsylvania for life. So, she was supposed to stay away from PA online casinos and land-based casinos permanently, and casinos are supposed to have systems in place to restrict her from playing.

Casino officials called the state police after notifying her that she would not receive her jackpot winnings. Police then trespassed the woman from the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course property.

It's unclear how much the gambler won before being trespassed. But her jackpot had to be at least $2,000, the minimum threshold for receiving a mandatory W2-G form from a casino.

Casino security in Pennsylvania is supposed to scan visitors' driver's licenses or other forms of identification. By doing so, a casino will immediately know if the potential player is temporarily or permanently prohibited from gaming.

However, security sometimes fails to follow protocol, especially for older gamblers who are obviously over 21. This leads to the most common scenario where an excluded player can get into a casino.

As for iGaming, licensed online casinos have strict identity verification measures in place to keep excluded gamblers from playing. They ask for detailed info upon registration, including date of birth and a Social Security Number.

When cashing out from new online casinos for the first time, players must provide their driver's license and proof of address (e.g., a bank statement). This ensures another layer of security that discourages prohibited players from trying to gamble.

The Keystone State's self-exclusion process has successfully added a large number of people who prefer to opt out of gambling.

More than 23,200 players have voluntarily excluded themselves from PA casinos since the program began in 2006. 

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board uses information gathered on these players to help casinos honor and enforce these self-exclusion requests and keep them out of casinos, both in-person and online. 

More than 4,600 self-excluded gamblers have been caught gambling after asking to be added to the program.

Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET. 

Jeremy Olson