Mount Airy Casino Bars Underage Visitors From Entire Resort

Posted on: December 13, 2022, 02:44h. 

Last updated on: December 13, 2022, 03:20h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains will soon exclude underage people from accessing the property.

Mount Airy Casino Resort Pocono gambling age
Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Pocono Mountains. The Pennsylvania casino is going adults-only beginning Dec. 18, 2022. (Image: Mount Airy Casino Resort)

Beginning this Sunday, December 18, Mount Airy says its casino floor and resort will be accessible only to guests who are aged 21 and older. The age minimum applies to the entire property, including the resort’s hotel rooms, restaurants, spa, pool area, and casino. One exception is that guests under 21 can still play the resort’s on-site Mount Airy Golf Club.

This decision, made after careful consideration and based on feedback from our patrons, caters to the increasing demand we are seeing for exceptional amenities and outstanding personal service,” said Lisa DeNaples, Mount Airy owner and managing trustee. “By offering an adults-only environment, we intend to serve as the premier escape for those seeking an elevated lifestyle that includes high-end experiences and luxury accommodations.”

In September, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) fined Mount Airy $160K for three instances where underage people were given access to, and allowed to gamble on, the resort’s casino floor. The regulatory shortcomings were highlighted by an 11-year-old child who was surveilled gambling on several slot machines.

State Trying to Limit Societal Harms

The PGCB last month responded to numerous incidences involving gamblers leaving children unattended. Several reports of kids being left in vehicles outside casinos prompted the state gaming board into funding a public service campaign about the dangers of leaving children in an automobile to gamble.

The PGCB said there were 171 incidences involving 279 minors left unattended outside a casino in 2021. So far in 2022, the state has counted more than 270 incidences involving more than 440 minors.

Mount Airy, along with every other state-licensed casino in Pennsylvania, has never allowed people under the legal gambling age of 21 access to its gaming floor. But for resort properties where the casino is part of a hotel, minors have been allowed to traverse the gaming space so long as they are accompanied by an adult.

Minors and their accompanied adult are to use designated pedestrian corridors to patronize restaurants and other amenities directly adjacent to the casino floors. But come Sunday, the entire Mount Airy casino and resort complex will be limited to only people aged 21 and older.

Poconos Remain Family Friendly

Though Mount Airy Casino Resort is transitioning to 21 and over, Poconos tourism officials say the region remains an ideal destination for families.

This decision makes perfect sense based on Mount Airy’s … long history of providing an exemplary adult-only experience,” commented Chris Barrett, president and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. “There are many kid-friendly properties located throughout the Poconos and we’re more than happy to assist families in finding those wonderful opportunities for their upcoming visit.”

The Mount Airy Casino Resort was opened in October 2017 by Louis DeNaples, who was later charged with perjury stemming from his suspected ties to organized crime and the Italian-American Mafia. In exchange for avoiding prosecution, DeNaples turned over his ownership of the casino to his daughter, Lisa, in 2009.