An “unauthorized” man entered and walked around Evolution‘s Philadelphia live dealer studio, the Pennsylvania gaming regulator revealed when levying a $7,500 fine against the service provider for online casino operators. The man allegedly fondled his “groin” in front of female employees in their dressing room.
In an Aug. 21 press release about “the incident” that happened in 2023, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) said:
The fine was levied after an unidentified male was able to enter various locations within the Evolution studio suite including a dressing area for employees.
To levy the fine, the PGCB approved a consent agreement on Aug. 21 from the Office of Enforcement Counsel.
Evolution supplies live dealer services to multiple US online casino operators, including BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
When discussing the security incident, Evolution attorneys noted no gaming operations were endangered.
Evolution Notified the PGCB About the Intruder
During the PGCB meeting on Aug. 21, Chief Enforcement Counsel Cyrus Pitre introduced Thomas Monaghan, assistant enforcement counsel.
Monaghan told the board on Aug. 21 about the 2023 incident:
This matter involves a male individual who was able to gain authorized access to the Evolution live dealer studio.
He detailed how the still unidentified man entered the Evolution studio and wandered around, then entered a locker room:
… The individual stood in the locker room common area and appeared to innappropriately touch himself and also made innappropriate comments to the female employees. He then entered a handicapped accessible dressing room, at which time all of the female employees hurriedly exited the locker room and proceeded down the team member hallway.
Security escorted the man out after he’d walked around the premises for 17 minutes.
At the meeting, attorneys for Evolution agreed to the facts Monaghan related, while adding that the man didn’t access the gaming floor or gaming-related areas.
Since then, Evolution changed security companies, retrained employees about safety, and redesigned the studio. The company also enhanced shift change procedures.
The consent agreement Bonus obtained from the PGCB on Aug. 23 shows Evolution notified the regulator on Jan. 19, 2023, about the security incident that occurred on Jan. 18, 2023.
The 8-page-long agreement reads:
The incident was reported to the Philadelphia Police Department. However, the identity of the individual was never obtained.
The agreement also notes that this is Evolution’s first PGCB penalty.
Bonus Saw the Studios in 2022
Evolution (Evolution AB (publ) 4,61 -2,12%) tightly controls access to its live dealer studios, monitors dealers for game safety and fairness, and tests cards and dice regularly per regulator requirements.
Bettors are also never told the studio’s address.
Bonus visited the Philadelphia live dealer studio in 2022 and saw several aspects of building and studio security. In order to visit the studio, I had to sign in and be accompanied by Evolution’s North American CEO, Jacob Claesson, at all times. He did not allow visitors in dressing areas, on studio floors, or in dealer training areas.
The building itself has a ground-floor security guard. The elevators, stairs, and suites require card entry for the studio’s hundreds of employees. Monaghan also mentioned a fingerprint scan requirement in place in 2023.
Evolution attorneys said on Aug. 21 that security is even tighter after the 2023 incident.
Evolution declined further comment when contacted by Bonus on Aug. 23.
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