Legal iGaming Not Stopping Adults From Leaving Children Unattended Outside Casinos
Posted on: May 26, 2025, 01:52h.
Last updated on: May 26, 2025, 01:52h.
- Two Rhode Island adults are accused of leaving kids in a car outside a casino
- The incident occurred at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln
- The casino’s security team assisted in the arrests
iGaming, where online casinos allow gamblers to lawfully gamble from their computers and mobile devices, is limited to only seven states. But even in those legal iGaming jurisdictions, incidents of adults leaving their children or dependents unattended in vehicles outside brick-and-mortar casinos remain prevalent.
The latest case comes in Rhode Island where law enforcement alleges that a couple, Brenda Gonzalez, 45, and Wilfredo Urbina Delgado, 41, left two children in their vehicle outside the Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino for hours while they gambled inside. The children, aged 7 and 11, were left for hours in the vehicle, the police report explained.
Delgado, whose name was registered with the vehicle, and Gonzalez were each charged with felony counts of cruelty/neglect of a child. Gonzalez was released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bail. Delgado was transferred to jail because the incident violated his bail conditions.
The Lincoln Police Department said the incident occurred around 5 pm on May 5 after law enforcement was tipped off by Bally’s security regarding unattended children. The children were handed over to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families before being released to a family member of Gonzalez.
Last December, Delgado pleaded no contest to shoplifting misdemeanor charges. In 2023, he was found guilty of possessing a Schedule 1 to V controlled substance, obstructing an officer in the execution of duty, and driving without a license.
Ongoing Issue
Law enforcement in Rhode Island said the Bally’s Twin River Lincoln unattended children incident is not a rare occurrence.
Unfortunately, the Lincoln Police Department responds to multiple incidents each year involving adults who neglect their responsibility to care for children at the casino,” Lincoln Police Captain Kyle Wingate said in a statement. “This behavior is both dangerous and unacceptable. We remain committed to holding anyone who places a child in harm’s way fully accountable under the law.”
A person found guilty of child cruelty or neglect in Rhode Island faces a penalty of one to three years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
In March 2020, a Rhode Island man was arrested for leaving his three-year-old autistic son outside Bally’s Lincoln. Casino.org has reported on similar unattended children outside casinos in several other iGaming states, including Pennsylvania.
iGaming Available
In Rhode Island, a person need not visit one of the two Bally’s casinos to legally gamble on a slot machine or table game. Bally’s, along with its interactive gaming partner, IGT, possesses a monopoly on both in-person and online casino gaming.
The Bally Bet Casino app and desktop website allows anyone aged 21 and older to gamble in a regulated environment on the internet. Similar slot titles as found in the two Bally’s physical casinos can be found on the Bally Bet platform, and the online operation additionally offers live dealer table games.
Sports bets can be placed via the Rhode Island Lottery’s online Sportsbook Rhode Island.
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