Banned for Life, Woman Hits Jackpot, Then Gets Booted

The spin of a slot reel may end up costing one New Jersey woman more than it paid. Pennsylvania State Police say a 69-year-old from Asbury was escorted out of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville after she hit a jackpot on Sunday—despite having placed herself on the state's lifetime gambling exclusion list in 2019, WHTM reports. The casino flagged her through its records and called police, who removed her and are filing a non-traffic trespassing citation.

It's not yet known whether she'll get the winnings. A Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesperson has previously said jackpots won by self-excluded gamblers are typically seized and redirected to programs that address gambling addiction. A comparable case in 2025 saw a self-banned man forfeit a $57,000 payout. The Council of Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania says people with gambling addictions can place themselves on a self-exclusion list for one year, five years, or a lifetime, CBS Pittsburgh reports.