A 24-year-old mother from Pennsylvania claims she was kicked out of a casino in Berlin, Maryland, on January 3 for breastfeeding her baby within their premises.
According to USA Today, Alanna Panas was reportedly in the lobby of the Casino at Ocean Downs breastfeeding her infant daughter Lilly when security personnel approached her and asked her to leave.
However, because it was raining outside, Ms Panas insisted on staying to protect her daughter's health.
"I kindly reminded the security guard that Lilly was 7 weeks old and it was freezing cold and raining, I was not willing to leave and risk her health," she revealed.
However, the casino's personnel were apparently unwilling to compromise.
"I was still told I needed to leave with nowhere else to go but the cold and rain," Ms. Panas told USA Today.
Ms Panas initially decided to breastfeed Lilly in the parking lot, but she realised she did not have her car keys. Although she texted her boyfriend to come and give her the car keys, Lilly continued to fuss and Ms Panas decided to breastfeed her on the spot to soothe the crying baby.
"It was then that I was approached and told to leave immediately," she recalled. "They told me that Lilly was a security threat."
The Daily Mail reported that casino personnel requested Ms Panas to leave, as Lilly is under 21 and the state's laws do not allow people under 21 on the gaming floor.
"But I didn't have my baby on the casino floor," Panas argued, claiming that they were in the lobby.
After Ms Panas' story became viral on social media, the Casino issued a statement apologising for the incident and said that they would reach out to her. However, she doubts the sincerity of the apology, saying according to the Daily Mail, that they "never formally apologised" to her.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene maintains that breastfeeding is allowed "in any public or private location in which the mother and child are authorised to be."
