A woman who had banned herself from Pennsylvania's casinos for life walked away with nothing after hitting a slot machine jackpot at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania — and was escorted off the property by state police.
Key takeaways
- A 69-year-old New Jersey woman on Pennsylvania's lifetime self-exclusion list hit a slot jackpot on May 31.
- Staff spotted her during the handpay and W-2G paperwork; state troopers removed her and she faces a criminal trespass citation.
- State rules bar self-excluded players from collecting winnings, which are remitted to the Gaming Control Board for problem gambling programs.
- Lifetime enrollees can only petition for removal after 10 years on the list.
- Regulators fined Rivers Casino Pittsburgh $70,000 in February 2026 over seven self-exclusion breaches.
The 69-year-old woman, from Asbury, New Jersey, was playing on the casino floor on Sunday, May 31 when she landed the winning spin. Under normal circumstances it would have been a moment to celebrate. Instead, it set in motion her removal from the building.
Flagged During the Jackpot Paperwork
Casino staff identified the guest while processing the win. Slot jackpots of $2,000 or more trigger a "handpay" and require a W-2G tax form, and it was during that paperwork that the casino realised the player appeared on the state's self-exclusion list.
The woman had voluntarily placed herself on Pennsylvania's lifetime self-exclusion list back in 2019, barring herself from gambling at every licensed casino in the state.
Identifying an excluded patron is not left to chance under state rules. Every Pennsylvania slot machine licensee must keep its own copy of the list and refresh it at least every two business days from the Board's electronic self-exclusion system, which supplies each enrollee's name, date of birth, address, physical description and photograph. Casinos are also required to train employees to recognise listed individuals, refuse their wagers and keep them off player club mailings and other gambling promotions.
Escorted Out — and Facing a Citation
Pennsylvania State Police troopers responded to the casino and escorted the woman from the property. According to police, she will face a non-traffic citation for criminal trespass for entering a venue she was legally barred from.
That outcome follows the script written into the program itself. When someone enrolls, they sign a release acknowledging that if they are found on a gaming floor or taking part in gaming-related activity, they can be removed and arrested for criminal trespass under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503, with any winnings confiscated. Casinos must post signs at every entrance repeating that warning, notify the Pennsylvania State Police once a listed person is identified, and report the discovery to the Board's Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling within 24 hours.
State police did not disclose how much the jackpot was worth. Whatever the figure, the winnings were never hers to keep.
What Happens to the Forfeited Winnings?
Under Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) rules, any winnings collected by a self-excluded player are forfeited. Rather than going back to the casino, the money is turned over to the PGCB and used to fund the state's Compulsive and Problem Gambling programs.
Jackpots forfeited by self-excluded gamblers are handed over to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and put toward programs that help fight gambling addiction.
The regulation is broad. Chapter 503a of the Board's rules says a listed person may not collect winnings or recover losses "in any manner or in any proceeding" for as long as they remain on the list, and it treats any winnings issued to, found on or redeemed by that person as subject to remittance. The Board's Responsible Play guidance adds that enrollees also lose access to complimentary gifts, services or anything else of value from a licensee. Enrollees also sign away claims: the release they sign holds the Commonwealth, the Board and casino licensees harmless if a venue fails to stop them from gambling or confiscates a win.
How Pennsylvania's Self-Exclusion Program Works
The chapter of Board rules that now governs casino self-exclusion was adopted in October 2007, and enrollment is strictly personal — a relative cannot sign someone else up. Applicants choose one of three terms: one year, five years or lifetime. They must provide government-issued identification and a photograph and acknowledge in writing that they are a problem gambler. The one-year and five-year bans do not lapse automatically; they stay in force until the person files a removal request after the term ends, and even then the individual has to wait seven business days before returning to a gaming floor.
A lifetime listing is far harder to undo. Only after 10 years on the list can the person petition the Board, and the petition must include documentation that a certified provider has completed a problem gambling assessment and any recommended treatment. The petitioner carries the burden of showing that removal would not harm their well-being, and a rejected petitioner must wait five years before trying again. For someone who enrolled in 2019, the earliest possible petition date is still years away.
The casino list is one of several. The PGCB runs separate self-exclusion programs for online casino gambling, video gaming terminals and fantasy contests, and individual licensees may apply stricter policies, such as blocking a casino self-excluded customer from their online sites too.
A Recurring Headache for Pennsylvania Casinos
The case is far from the first of its kind. State regulators have repeatedly fined casinos for letting self-excluded or banned individuals onto the gaming floor — in one earlier case, an excluded gambler reportedly played for nearly four days straight before being stopped. The self-exclusion program is designed to give problem gamblers a binding way to stay away, but enforcing it at the slot machine remains a challenge.
Recent enforcement shows how often the system is tested. At its February 25, 2026 meeting, the Board approved a $70,000 fine against the operator of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh for seven instances of permitting self-excluded individuals to reach the casino floor and gamble. Separately, the Board maintains involuntary exclusion lists for people it bars on its own authority; after the May 20, 2026 meeting that roster stood at 1,463 names.
About Hollywood Casino at Penn National
The venue sits in Dauphin County, about 17 miles east of Harrisburg. Its thoroughbred track opened in August 1972, while the casino followed on February 12, 2008, with table games added in July 2010. The property is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment, and in November 2018 it became the first casino in Pennsylvania to take sports bets.
According to PGCB figures for calendar year 2025, the casino's slot machines generated $133.1 million in revenue, down 1.61% on 2024, and its tables added about $23 million. Its licence is far bigger online: iGaming revenue reported under Hollywood Casino at Penn National reached $1.06 billion, the highest of any Pennsylvania operator, as the state's combined gaming revenue hit a record $6.8 billion.
For the 69-year-old, the lesson was an expensive one: a jackpot hit, but nothing to take home.
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