A few days ago, it was announced that the Golden Nugget, one of the casinos in Atlantic City that are still operating, was imposed a $30,000 fine by the local Division of Gaming Enforcement, due to violation of the regulations concerning the surveillance of gambling venues.
The regulatory body fined the Golden Nugget for dismissing the manager of surveillance a few months ago for no apparent reason. Tom Pohlman, who was taking the position of general manager at the venue, terminated the contract of the employee in question and stated that his/her emails should be re-directed to him. In addition, Mr. Pohlman took charge of the casino’s surveillance department and ordered that all supervisors should report directly to him.
According to filings released by the DGE, Mr. Pohlman had repeatedly made attempts to govern the surveillance policy of the venue and to interfere with the actions of the surveillance department even before its manager, whose identity was not revealed, was fired.
Under the New Jersey state laws, a surveillance director can be dismissed only if an independent audit committee decides so. Mr. Pohlman got a three-day suspension without pay as well as a recommendation to re-read the casino security rules and regulations one more time.
Steve Scheinthal, who is currently taking the position of a general counsel for Laundry’s Inc., Golden Nugget’s parent company, said in a special statement on the matter that they absolutely did not agree with DGE’s claims and decision. They believe they did not do anything wrong. Yet, the company will not further delve into the issue, so as to avoid any additional legal expenses.
The Golden Nugget stated that a new surveillance manager has already been hired. Generally speaking, the department is responsible for monitoring what happens on the casino floor and preventing any illegal activity.
Local media reported that this was not the first time that Mr. Pohlman was accused of mistreating a subordinate. Back in 2012, the Golden Nugget’s previous security manager filed a lawsuit claiming that he had been dismissed, due to the fact that he had reported dangerous and inappropriate behaviour demonstrated by Mr. Pohlman.
As already mentioned, the Golden Nugget is owned by Laundry’s Inc., a company that provides numerous gambling and entertainment options across the United States. At present, the Atlantic City-based casino holds the biggest market share in the city. It posted a 34% increase in gaming revenue for the first nine months of the year.
