Most casinos mail out promotional materials to get players in the doors, however, it seems Hollywood Casino in Aurora went over the line by targeting people who have been identified as problem gamblers.

The Illinois Gaming Board suspended three managers and fined Hollywood $800,000 last Monday, the largest fine levied by the board for such a violation, for mailing promotional materials to people who had asked to be banned from casinos in Illinois – self-proclaimed, problem gamblers no doubt.

A firm that tracks all the ATM machines in Illinois casinos rented out a list of names to Hollywood Casino, which it used as prospective customers to send promotional materials to.

There was nothing wrong with this except for the fact that Hollywood failed to compare the list to the people who are enrolled in the Gaming Board’s Self-Exclusion Program. According to the board, 146 people in the program were mailed the promotional materials.

The Self-Exclusion Program is voluntary and cuts problem gamblers off from state-casino access and keeps casinos from sending any promotional materials that may entice them to gamble.

In a similar case, Emress Casino in Joliet was fined $600,000 in 2005 for mailing promotional materials to people enrolled in the Self-Exclusion Program.

Suspensions in the case included three Hollywood managers: 14 days for Christopher Rellinger, marketing services manager; 10 days for Alan Rosenzweig, vice president of marketing; and 4 days for G. Patt Medchill, general manager.