A.C. casino guards can detain underage patrons

ATLANTIC CITY - Security guards at Atlantic City's 11 casinos can now detain suspected underage gamblers or drinkers without waiting for police to arrive, the Casino Control Commission decided yesterday.

New Jersey statistics show that hundreds of patrons younger than 21, the legal age for casino gambling and drinking in the state, are arrested or detained in Atlantic City casinos each year. Several of the businesses have been hit with hefty fines for allowing underage patrons to gamble or drink. - AP