ATLANTIC CITY – New Jersey gambling regulators have seized more than $69,000 in unclaimed jackpots won by gamblers at three casinos who couldn’t prove they were old enough to gamble legally, or who left the premises without cashing in.
The move by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement has a long reach: it included seizures from two casinos that are now closed, Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal, which accounted for most of the seized money. The third seizure came from the Tropicana.
The largest seizure came from the Trump Taj Mahal, which shut down on Oct. 10. State regulators seized $66,364 from the casino, representing money won by gamblers but not paid out to them because they were unable to establish that they were at least 21 years old, or because they had left without claiming their winnings through slot vouchers or other means.
It included poker winnings of $18,000 and $10,000 to two customers.
The state also reached back more than two years to confiscate slot jackpot money seized under similar circumstances at Trump Plaza, which shut down on Sept. 16, 2014.
The Tropicana forfeited $437 in small slot payouts, a roulette payout and $5 in unclaimed gambling chips.
The seizures were approved in late November and made public last week.
The casinos and the individual gamblers did not contest the fines or forfeiture orders.
The forfeited money goes to a state fund for programs for senior citizens and the disabled.
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