Hotel pays record $350,000 fine for allowing minors in casino area

The Nevada Gaming Commission received a check from the hotel on Thursday after approving a penalty recommended by the state Gaming Control Board earlier this month.

A 10-count complaint filed by the Control Board on Feb. 24 cited the presence of minors in the casino adjacent to the hotel's $70 million "Star Trek: The Experience" attraction, which opened in January.

Las Vegas Hilton President Dean Harrold told commission members that the hotel's security staff was caught off guard, adding "we never expected that influx of children."

Bill Keeton, the hotel's director of security, said the company will soon begin construction of a permanent wall that will separate the gaming area from the Star Trek attraction. He said his department has stepped up security coverage in areas where minors were observed.

The Gaming Control Board said people waiting in line for the attraction were routed through the adjoining SpaceQuest Casino.

"In the obvious presence of numerous Hilton casino personnel several minors of impressionable age played slot machines with their parents when they activated the machines by pressing a button or waving their hands through an optic light device causing the reels to spin," the Gaming Board complaint read.

Board agents recommended that the Hilton redesign the roped lines leading to the attraction and Hilton executives agreed, reworking the area in late February.

The attraction has averaged 6,000 visitors a day, according to Hilton executives.

Nevada law prohibits anyone under the age of 21 from playing gambling devices or loitering in casino areas.

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