Breastfeeding mom tossed out of casino lobby

Hannah Carroll | (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times

An empty baby bottle. A fussy newborn. A deserted casino lobby in Berlin, Md., on a rainy January night.

Alanna Panas of Mechanicsburg, Penn., watched raindrops hit the Casino at Ocean Downs lobby doors as she held her infant Jan. 3.

Panas' mother had just dropped off Lilly, Alanna's 7-week-old daughter. Lilly had drunk the bottle of milk Alanna sent out with her and was hungry again.

"My mother and sister took Lilly for about an hour so my father, boyfriend and I could enjoy some time at the casino," Panas said. "It was our first time going to one."

Panas and her family were staying at their beach home in Ocean City for the weekend.

"It wasn't until my mom had left and I was standing in the lobby with Lilly that I realized I didn't have my car keys," Panas said.

Panas texted her boyfriend to come off the Ocean Downs casino gaming floor and meet her in the lobby with the keys so she could breastfeed in the parking lot.

As newborn Lilly continued to fuss while the two waited in the casino lobby, Panas said she did what she thought was right to soothe her baby's cries. But when Panas began to breastfeed in the empty lobby, she was approached by casino security and told to leave the building immediately.

Maryland casino gaming laws state that individuals under the age of 21 are not permitted on the gaming floor.

"They told me that Lilly was a security threat," Panas said.

According to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website, "a mother may breastfeed her child in any public or private location in which the mother and child are authorized to be."

Panas said she was aware of the casino's rules because of the numerous signs posted around the building.

"But I didn't have my baby on the casino floor," Panas said. "Lilly and I were in the corner of the lobby."

When Panas got home, she posted her frustration on her Facebook account.

A support group, Breastfeeding Mama Talk, shared her story and it quickly went viral. Panas has been the subject of several stories about the incident this month.

Krissy Kemp, founder of Breastfeeding Mama Talk on Facebook, wanted to share Panas' story to help promote awareness about breastfeeding laws.

"It's not like I love ousting businesses and getting boob mobs all over their social media accounts, but I feel like if people don't unite to educate one another, incidents similar to Alanna's will continue to happen," Kemp said. "I don't think Panas deserved to be shown the door."

Stephanie Amsler, leader of Berlin's chapter of La Leche, a national women's breastfeeding support group, said mothers are often told to leave places of business while breastfeeding.

"The law protects mothers who choose to breastfeed in public," Amsler said. "That choice to breastfeed in a restaurant, store park, mall or any other public place is up to the mother and her baby."

Ocean Downs officials declined to comment Friday about the incident.

The following status was posted on the casino's Facebook account: "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."

Still, Panas remains disappointed.

"They called me and said they were apologizing but really they just made me feel worse," Panas said. "They just basically said it was Lilly and my fault."

As of now, Panas is deciding what she wants to do next.

"My baby and I did nothing wrong," Panas said. "I just want a sincere apology for the way we were treated."