As reported by Metro News, the operating license and machine permits for a Huntington-based video lottery parlor look set to be revoked following a State Lottery Commission vote.
Breaking lottery regulations, the commission is reported to have found that Karen’s Cookie Carnival illegally extended credit and cashed checks for players, with a total of 921 separate violations being uncovered.
As a result, the commission is said to have since imposed a $100 fine on each violation, thus totalling a $92,100 penalty that will be paid by the operator.
Giving various examples of check cashing and credit limits, the commission heard from Lottery investigator Scott Moore, who had reached out to players who frequented the establishment.
Discussing his experiences with Karen’s Cookie Carnival players, the investigator stated: “She said that she personally had a $1,000 limit to play the poker machines at Karen’s Cookie Carnival. She said her employer had a $5,000 limit.”
Having been garnering the commission’s attention since December of 2019 , Chairman Ken Greear told Metro News that Karen’s Cookie Carnival has twice prior been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons with similar behaviour.
Greear told Metro News: “This potentially has the error of willful, willfully violating the regulations. Our job is to make sure the public is protected in this light.
“If we don’t have the integrity and if we don’t have the faith in the general public then the Lottery is not serving the purpose and not serving the state of West Virginia as it should.”