Lawsuit Against Illinois Casinos for Deducting Gaming Licenses from Wages, Minimum Wage Violations
A class and collective action lawsuit has been filed against Penn National Gaming, Inc. and one of its subsidiary casinos for failing to pay its tipped employees in Illinois properly under federal and Illinois wage laws. The case seeks to represent employees at: Hollywood Casino Joliet, Argosy Casino Alton and Hollywood Casino Aurora.
The complaint alleges that Penn National Gaming and its Illinois casinos violated employees’ rights by:
- Deducting the fees for obtaining and renewing state-issued gaming licenses from their wages; and
- Deducting the cost of a 30-minute meal period from employees’ wages despite not actually providing a meal period.
Employees may be eligible to participate in this case if they meet the following criteria:
- Worked at the following Penn National Gaming casinos in Illinois during the previous three years: Hollywood Casino Joliet, Argosy Casino Alton, and Hollywood Casino Aurora;
- Were paid a direct cash wage (i.e., the amount paid by the casino not counting tips) of $7.25 or less; and
- Had the cost of a gaming license deducted from their wages.
Employees who are interested in participating in this case can contact us by email at pngillinoiscase@stuevesiegel.com OR by leaving a detailed voicemail (including name, phone number, email, casino where worked, and dates of employment) at (877) 536-1986.
The case is Cruz-Perez v. Penn National Gaming, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-02577, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Plaintiff is represented by George Hanson and Alex Ricke of Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP, Ryan L. McClelland of McClelland Law Firm, P.C., and Douglas M. Werman of Werman Salas P.C.
