A bill introduced on March 1 into the Pennsylvania Legislature calls for increasing the severity of penalties for underage gambling at the state’s brick-and-mortar casinos.

The legislation, House Bill 657, sits with the House Gaming Oversight Committee and doesn’t yet have a scheduled hearing. Under the measure, sponsored by state Rep. Thomas Murt, a Republican from a district just north of Philadelphia, the fines for the underage gamblers themselves would increase.

Under current law, wagering or attempting to wager at a slot machine or table game can result in a $200-$1,000 fine (in addition to the confiscation of winnings). Second offenses and beyond can result in a $500-$1,500 fine and up to 40 hours of community service. Per Murt, there isn’t currently a penalty for merely entering a casino, though Pennsylvania fines the casinos for incidents of allowing underage access.

“My legislation will increase these penalties and differentiate between a young person being on the casino floor and a young person wagering, or attempting to wager on a game on the casino floor,” Murt wrote in a memo outlining the intent of his bill, which has three co-sponsors.

Murt’s bill doesn’t mention online gambling, which could launch in the Keystone State this summer. Underage online gambling is also illegal, but it is far less common thanks to identify verification safeguards. In a little over five years of online gambling, the state of New Jersey has had just one incident and fine.

This article is a reprint from PennBets.com.   To view the original story and comment, click here.