Crown Casino car park, US.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the casino industry in America is partnering with child safety campaigners to halt the trend of casino clients leaving their children in cars while they gamble.
This follows the recent news of a four year old being left in a parking garage for eight hours at a casino in Maryland.
The American Gaming Association (AGA), whose members include notable casinos, such as Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, and Penn National Gaming, made the announcement this week that it is actively working with childrens charities.
The Association has paired up with KidsandCars.org – a Kansas City based group that works to stop injuries and deaths to children in and around cars.
Geoff Freeman, Chief Executive of AGA, said that the aim of the partnership is to raise awareness and strengthen the industry’s security practices.
He said: “We all hear these stories at grocery stores or theme parks. Many of us are parents of young children. If there is anything we can do to be partners to prevent children from being left in cars, we are glad to lead the way.”
The announcement from the AGA follows a series of news stories about casinos throughout America, including the one concerning a 24-year-old woman from Baltimore, who was charged with child abuse after police claimed that she left a 4-year-old in a car at Maryland Live for eight hours, on a day when the temperature was in the mid-30s.
This case, however, was one of a reported six cases of children being left unattended in cars at Maryland’s four casinos since January 2013, according to reports from the state lottery commission and gaming control agency.
Interestingly, it is not just children being left in cars. In July this year, a 98 year old mother was left for a few hours in a truck while her son gambled at Maryland Live, according to police. He was charged with vulnerable adult neglect.
On Tuesday this week, police in Pittsburgh arrested a woman following accusations that she left her nine year old son in a parked car while she went to redeem a $10 voucher at Rivers Casino. She has subsequently been banned from the casino, who released a statement saying: “We can’t stop parents from making bad decisions; but we are vigilant in our efforts to prevent this from happening.”
KidsandCars.org has documented more than 200 children being left unattended in cars at casinos since 2000, including one child who died.
The founder and president of the charity, Janette Fennell, said that her group has not found that casinos make up a disproportionate share of the settings where children are left unattended. But they do pose unique challenges, compared with gas stations or grocery stores.
She said: “People just think, ‘I’ll run in and pay for the gas.’ What’s different about casinos is that it really is not a situation where you run in real quickly, or say, ‘I am going to gamble for a minute.’ ”
This post currently has no comments, be the first.
Leave a Comment