Sands Casino Bethlehem Fined for Mixing Cards From Different Decks

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Associated Press) - Pennsylvania state regulators are hitting the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem with more than $22,000 in fines for violating a prohibition against mixing cards from different decks.

The Morning Call of Allentown reported Monday (http://bit.ly/2fyxlPa ) that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board penalized the casino after its dealers twice mixed red and blue decks together.

Sands noticed the mistakes and immediately reported the incidents in June 2015 and in February.

A few hundred hands were dealt before the mistakes were noticed.

Casino officials aren’t commenting. They’ve removed continuous shuffle machines from blackjack pits, begun using cards with brighter colors and spoken to several employees. No one was fired.

Most state gambling agency fines involve young people on casino floors drinking or gambling before they’re old enough.