Breasfeeding Mom Ordered To Leave Casino In Maryland Because She Was A 'Threat'

A mom complained that a casino in Maryland told her to leave the place because of her breastfeeding.

Alanna Panas said the incident involving her and her daughter, seven-week old Lilly, happened at the Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin, Maryland, last Jan. 3.

On her Facebook account, she recounted that her family went to the casino for dinner.

"My mother and sister took our daughter for the hour we were inside and ran errands with her. We provided them with one bottle of pumped breast milk which she consumed," she wrote.

Upon their return, she said, her daughter was "fussing" so she decided to go outside to take her to their car.

However, she said, her boyfriend forgot to give her the car key so she texted him to bring it and she waited at the casino lobby.

"I knew the baby was not permitted on the gaming floor as posted, which stated no one under 21 permitted on the 'gaming floor,'" she said.

When her daughter continued fussing, she began to breastfeed her.

"It was then that I was approached and told to leave immediately," she said.

Panas told the security guard that her daughter was seven weeks old "and it was freezing cold and raining, I was not willing to leave and risk her health. I was still told I needed to leave with nowhere else to go but the cold and rain and was labeled as a situation."

She said she got a call from the casino's assistant executive director last Jan. 6 who told her that she was "told to leave immediately because security saw Lilly and I as a threat of sneaking in."

The casino, Panas said, denied that it was due to breastfeeding.

"I was told they do permit children on the property and in the lobby since they do have family friendly events," she said.

But since she was a "threat," she said, "they reserve the right to expand the gaming floor boundaries to wherever they please."

In a Facebook post on Jan. 7, Ocean Downs Casino said, "The Casino at Ocean Downs strives to make our guests' experiences enjoyable, and if any member of our team acted in a manner that did not promote that experience, we apologize. We will be reaching out to Ms. Panas directly to discuss her concerns."