Sudbury casino fined for not catching underage gambler with fake ID

Gateway Casinos has been fined $12,500 after a teen used a friend's driver's licence to gamble at its Sudbury venue over three days last April.

Gateway Casinos in Greater Sudbury has been fined $12,500 after a 17-year-old was able to gamble on multiple occasions using a friend’s driver’s licence as identification.

The teen was caught after his mother called the casino and warned them that her son might be there to gamble using a false ID.

Gateway appealed the fine, arguing that it took reasonable steps to verify that the person was of legal age, and acted to remove him as soon as it was notified by the teen’s mother.

The incidents took place April 6, 7 and 8 last year, when the teen entered the casino four times to gamble. Surveillance video showed him entering the facility, Gateway staff checking his ID and allowing him to enter.

On his final visit, his mother called and alerted staff “that her 17-year-old son may be using a friend’s identification to gain access to gamble at the casino.”

Created a ‘BOLO’ document

The casino’s security supervisor asked the mother to send her a photo of her son, and then created a ‘be on lookout’ (BOLO) document that she delivered to the security team.

“She was notified that the individual in the photo looked familiar and may already be on the gaming floor,” said the appeal decision.

The security supervisor, who was new to the job, spoke with an Ontario Provincial Police officer who was already there to get advice. The security team then approached the teen on the gaming floor.

The OPP officer took the teen’s ID, asked him to remove his toque, compared the photo ID and the picture sent by his mother, and asked the teen questions about his date of birth, his address, etc.

After initially being evasive, the teen then gave his real name and admitted what he had done.

Gateway was fined a total of $12,500 by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission for allowing the teen to gamble. In its appeal, the casino argued it had taken reasonable steps to check the identification.

Scanned the driver’s licence

Casino staff used a scanner to determine that the driver’s licence the teen presented was valid and argued that it wasn’t apparent that the teen wasn’t the person in the driver’s licence photo.

The OPP officer already knew something was going on because the teen’s mother had called and sent over a photo of her son -- unlike Gateway security staff.

The adjudicator hearing the appeal rejected that argument, in part because casino staff are required to conduct heightened security checks of anyone under the age of 21.

“I am not persuaded by this submission because the role of security is to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to the casino,” the adjudicator hearing the appeal wrote.

“A key component of this responsibility is an awareness that such individuals will attempt to gain entry and to remain vigilant to that possibility when reviewing identification. This did not occur, and a minor was admitted to the casino on four separate occasions.”

As part of their training, security staff are told that minors will often “attempt to impersonate someone whom they closely resemble, such as a family member, relative or friend,” the decision said.

“The identification is usually legitimate, but it is the wrong owner.”

In those cases, staff are directed to “ask for secondary identification.”

In addition, each time the teen entered, he was wearing a ballcap or a tuque and glasses, but was not asked to remove the coverings to verify his identity.

The monetary penalty totalling $12,500 was upheld.

Read the full decision here.