Former Mohegan Sun executive Bobby Soper Mohegan was penalized $60,000 by the Pennsylvania-based Gaming Control Board. He failed to fully disclose his investments in Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre.
The PCGB, which was included in an enforcement notice, states that Bobby Soper Mohegan’s penalty stemmed from his failure to properly notify the staff and basic license renewal forms that revealed his draws in ten businesses, involving two individuals, including Drink Holder and ReferLocal, who conducted business directly through Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Bobby Soper Mohegan made the trip to the casino after Mohegan Sun paid $280 million to acquire it on behalf of Penn National Gaming. He led Mohegan Sun as CEO from 2015 until 2017.
He claimed to have moved on to a new challenge and that he had not engaged in any infractions while departing amid PGCB inquiries.
Bobby Soper Mohegan, according to local press sources, said that his acts were the result of an innocent managerial and administrative error and that he would also willingly accept the punishment.
Bobby Soper Mohegan, the president of Mohegan Sun Pocono, has been the subject of numerous PGCB probes and criminal investigations; this event being the most recent.
The association applied with the Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming that Mohegan Sun Pocono may have operational oversight issues. The application also mentioned that PCGB was investigating how to monitor and report the insurance coverage of certain clients’ rewards, such as free position games, about an internal pillaging controversy that resulted in nearly $50,000 in losses for the building due to the use of permitted position playing.
The investigation was anticipated since it purports that Mohegan Sun Pocono CEO Bobby Soper Mohegan would be charged with misbehavior and will also have to pay fines and make promises to fix the issues that have been exposed.
He was hit with a $70,000 fine for around five separate incidents, plus five more that involved small-time gamblers coming to his casino.
When the state auditors evaluated the deleted papers and found discrepancies in the slot machine characteristics that he had supplied to the legislature, they fined him more than $125,000.
Bobby Soper Mohegan paid a fine for not disclosing all of his business affiliations
Bobby Soper CEO of Mohegan Sun Pocono, a casino, agreed to pay back Pennsylvania State Gambling authorities $60,000 for withholding his ownership interest in local companies.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports that Bobby Soper Mohegan and the parties recently came to a settlement about the payment of the criminal penalty and $2,500 in total.
A spokesman for the PGCB Doug Harbach stated that he had believed Bobby Soper Mohegan’s client was already in charge of fine and related costs.
Former president of Plains Township-based Downs Racing L.P., a company that runs a racetrack and casinos. Booby Soper Mohegan said that he had made a serious mistake in forgetting important licenses and personnel details for the renewal.
According to Bobby Soper Mohegan, it was done unintentionally.
But as the CEO of the gaming sector, you have to pay close attention to and acknowledge notices.
Bobby Soper Mohegan said in his reply that he would agree with the entire sentence, even if he feels that he made a grave mistake in doing so.
The PGCB, however, saw this incidence as more than a defect.
The PGCB claims that Bobby Soper Mohegan is particularly important when it comes to companies that were in operation because of the potential for illegality and conflicts of interest that arise from these kinds of connections. He founded Sun Gaming & Hospitality in Sunrise, Florida.
According to officials, the business has ended its partnership with ReferLocal, one of the businesses Bobby Sober Mohegan has acknowledged investing in at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Bobby Soper Mohegan has an interest in twelve firms included in the authorization accord:
- From 2010 to 2015, Drinkholder LLC owned 20% of the shares.
- 25% of JOBS LLC’s shares between 2010 and 2015.
- AEI 2008 Venture Investment I LLC was in operation from 2010 to 2015.
- From 2011 until 2015, Montage Fish Market LLC held 6% of the shares.
- 5% shares held by ReferLocal LLC between 2011 and 2015.
- 1% of PathMapp LLC’s shares were held from 2013 to 2015.
- 5% ownership in ReferLocal Business Pages LLC, 2014–2015
- ReferLocal Classifieds LLC, 2014–2015, 5% of the shares
- 1% of shares held by Group Capital Holdings LLC, 2014-2014
- In 2015. 13.89 percent of Path’s shares were held by French Girls LLC.
The PGCB claims that ReferLocal is not allowed to operate in the Pennsylvania casino industry and does not belong there.
ReferLocal conducted trade through the casino and provided companies with lower rates through online shopping and memberships, as documented in the following documents.
When Bobby Soper Mohegan owed Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, he received $26,945 in total earnings from ReferLocal. By the provisions of the contract, he gave up his membership in the group, losing $73,054 in the process.
Drinkholder & ReferLocal swiftly conducted commerce through Mohegan Sun Pocono, according to Jones, who stated that the company filed for supplier authorization shortly after Bobby Soper Mohegan authorities brought it to ReferLocal’s attention this year. However, the request is still pending the agreement.
PGCB: What is it?
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is referred to as PGCB. Established in 2004 as the state registration and enforcement authority responsible for overseeing the gaming industry and casino gambling, the PGCB is an official body of the State of Pennsylvania.
As mandated by the Gaming Act and supported by knowledgeable employees, the PGCB will uphold the public interest by ensuring the integrity of games that are allowed to be played through strict adherence to the law and its regulations, the approval of qualified individuals or groups, and the accomplishment of the objectives of games that are allowed to be played.
The Mohegan Tribe is in arrears on gaming fines totaling an astounding $1 million
A $1 million fine was imposed on the Mohegan Tribe for operating a corporate gambling enterprise in Pennsylvania.
The Mohegan Sun Pocono was fined $550,000 by the PGCB for violating policies about internal inspections, primary financial institutions, and free slot game compliance.
The board stated that engaging with unlicensed gaming vendors resulted in an additional $450,000 fine.
As reported in the news article, the total amount reached its highest point every time Pennsylvania allowed gambling. Sources claim that the Mohegan Tribe agreed to pay back the entire penalty amount.
A $550,000 fine has been assessed by the state licensing board concerning an operation in which a customer and two former workers conned the gambling facility out of almost $400,000 in free machine gaming. Afterwards, they all entered guilty pleas.
The licensing body also mentioned that two companies that were not allowed to operate in the gaming industry were linked to a $450,000 penalty. A past casino CEO has a close relationship with each of those groups.
The ex-executive Bobby Soper Mohegan was accused by the tribes of having concealed his ties to the organizations. Before being promoted to CEO of the tribe’s gaming establishment, which was once known as the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority but is now called Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, he served as CEO of Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The Board said that Bobby Soper Mohegan, a member of the tribe, had agreed to pay a $60,000 punishment for failing to disclose his connection. He has already resigned from Mohegan Sun Pocono as CEO and President.
A probe led to Bobby Soper Mohegan’s resignation
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s president and CEO, Bobby Soper Mohegan, resigned last week in the wake of an investigation into financial issues. Prior to being elevated to CEO of Mohegan Tribal Gaming, he was CEO of Mohegan Sun Pocono. He resigned from his position while an inquiry was underway.
A Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry has shown that Mohegan Sun Pocono, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, may be vulnerable to penalties from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Mohegan Sun Tribal Authority states that Bobby Soper Mohegan immediately left his post in order to pursue other opportunities.
Bobby Soper Mohegan stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Mitchell Etess
Bobby Soper Mohegan is temporarily being replaced by former tribal Council President Mitchell Etess. Mitchell Etess, the tribal authority of Mohegan Sun, will lead a nationwide search for a new full-time president of the company.
The regulatory agency asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold off on releasing its conclusions until Mitchell Etess could review them.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board‘s report (PGCB)
Simultaneously, a registration statement from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s Division of Investigative Attorney announced that the agency would launch an inquiry into apparent management issues at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
According to the complaint, Plains Township was singled out for disciplinary actions that included promises to fix the found shortcomings as well as a financial fine.
ReferLocal Reprimand & Grievances
Following the disclosure of a $51 million deficit in year-end results, Mohegan Sun Pocono terminated its contracts with ReferLocal, a Wilkes-Barre advertising and marketing agency.
Despite owning five percent of ReferLocal, Bobby Soper Mohegan never disclosed the connection. The deal with ReferLocal was signed when Bobby Soper Mohegan was Mohegan Sun Pocono’s CEO. Since then, ReferLocal has filed a complaint and is requesting payment for the cancellation of the agreement.
It should be mentioned that Bobby Soper Mohegan set up a system that was compromised, even though he did not participate in the misconduct with the rewards card system. It seems that his failure to disclose his financial interest in ReferLocal was the main factor in his decision to quit after the probe.
About Mohegan Bobby Soper
Up until 2012, Bobby Soper served as Mohegan Sun Pocono’s president and CEO. He left right now to become CEO of Connecticut’s most valuable asset, the globally renowned Mohegan Sun. In 2015, he was named Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority’s chief executive officer.
After Bobby Soper left the Pennsylvania facility, Mike Bean assumed his role at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Following Mr. Bean’s resignation in 2016, Tony Carlucci assumed the role.
In 1997, Bobby Soper began working in the casino industry as a legal consultant for the Mohegan Indian Tribe located in Uncasville, Connecticut. Over two decades of experience managing casino property enterprises have given him the ability to oversee the development of various gaming growth efforts.
The Bottom Line
Well-known businessman and entrepreneur Bobby Soper Mohegan serves as CEO of Mohegan Sun Pocono. But because he failed to follow his protocols when dealing with unlicensed suppliers, he was fined $1 million.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board had approved the $450,000 and $550,000 fines, which during the agency’s founding became its largest one-time penalty. After several examinations, three distinct types of anomalies were found, which resulted in the $550,000 fine.
Bobby Soper Mohegan reportedly quit his job right away to take advantage of other chances, according to the Mohegan Sun Tribal Control.
