Jake’s 58 Casino in New York Dealing with State Violations
By
Jerry Smith
Staff Writer
Updated: 08/19/2024
Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.
NY’s Jake’s 58 Casino Fined
According to recent reports, a New York casino has been issued with state violations as a result of licensing issues. Jake’s 58 Casino, which is located in Islandia, has been hit with a number of violations following allegations that many of the staff employed by the casino did not have proper gaming licenses.
The violations have been issued by the New York State Gaming Commission, which claims that many employees had no gaming licenses and others had either the incorrect licenses or ones that had expired.
It is important for casino gaming staff to have the necessary licenses, as there are strict regulations in place in New York relating to the employment of people with felonies or gambling-related misdemeanors. None of the employees at the casino have been accused of this type of criminal past, but the casino has been pulled up as a result of their improper licenses.
Casino Hit with Fine
Following communications with the current operator back in December last year, the NY Gaming Commission found that nine gaming employees at the casino did not hold a gaming license. In addition, a further 25 gaming employees were found to have licenses that had either expired or were not the correct ones.
The commission issued Jake’s 58 Casino with a fine of $26,000. However, the management at the casino has decided to appeal this fine, so at present it is on hold. It was further confirmed that the casino has now submitted the relevant paperwork that is necessary to sort out the licensing statuses of its employees.
The casino is run by Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp, but it was previously operated by Delaware North. According to the CEO of Suffolk Regional, Phil Boyle, the problems date back to when the former operator ran the casino.
He said,
Though we were only recently notified of any issues… questions date back to when Delaware North ran Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel. It is our intention to address them, resolve them, and become a statewide model for other casinos to follow regarding gaming license compliance.
The casino was operated by Delaware North between 2017 and 2021. Officials from the company said that during the time the operator was running the casino, they received no notifications of breaches or issues from the Gaming Commission.
Final Decision Still Pending
Due to the decision of the current management at the casino to lodge an appeal, the decision by the Gaming Commission is still pending.
A spokesperson for the Commission confirmed that the current casino management had taken steps to ensure compliance with regulations. However, since the violations date back to before the current operator took over Jake’s 58 Casino, it is unknown whether the fine will stand following the appeal.
Suffolk OTB reported impressive figures for the 23/24 fiscal year, with officials noting that revenue had increased since the company took over from Delaware North. The net revenue figure for this period came in at $277.3 million, which was an increase from $218.7 million in 2019/2020.