Casino Director, From Collegeville, Stole $75K In Gift Cards: DA

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — A Collegeville woman and benefits director at Penn National Gaming stole hundreds of $25 and $50 gift cards intended as prizes for company employees, using them for personal use, the Berks County District Attorney's Office announced.

Denise M. Bitler, 56, faces numerous charges for the crimes, committed while employed with the casino operator from Oct. 2014 to June 2019.

Penn National Gaming, headquartered in Wyomissing in Berks County, runs 43 gaming and racing facilities across 19 states. Bitler was in charge of running a "wellness" program at the company, which involved awarding employees with the gift cards if they completed certain health initiatives or volunteer activities.

The DA said that Bitler kept the pre-paid gift cards inside her office and, throughout 2018 and 2019, used hundreds of them for her own personal use, including on vacations, medical bills, and retail purchases.

Bitler also enrolled herself and her husband in Penn National's medical enrollment forms as non-smokers, which saved her about $1,200 a year, the DA said. However, they have both been smokers that entire time, according to authorities.

She has been charged with theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft by deception, and related counts. She was arrested on Dec. 12, and released on $80,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.