Security guards at Atlantic City’s 11 casinos can now detain suspected underage gamblers or drinkers on their own without waiting for police to show up.

The presence of underage customers has been a continuing problem in the nation’s second-largest gambling resort.

The state Casino Control Commission approved a measure on Wednesday granting casino security officers expanded power to detain people suspected of being too young.

The legal age for casino gambling and drinking in New Jersey is 21. State statistics show hundreds of underage patrons are either arrested or detained inside Atlantic City casinos each year, and thousands more turned away at the door.

Last year, 403 underage gamblers were caught inside Atlantic City casinos.

Several gambling halls have been hit with hefty fines for allowing underage patrons to gamble or drink.

One of the most infamous cases in New Jersey involved a 17-year-old girl, Debra Kim Cohen, the daughter of an Atlantic City police detective. In 1987, she was treated as a high-roller, gambling away thousands of dollars at the blackjack tables and getting VIP treatment in return, including free limo rides, drinks, hotel rooms and expensive meals.

Five casinos paid $18,000 in fines related to her gambling, and made donations of $162,000 to compulsive gambling programs. She paid a $750 fine.

Last year, several high-profile underage gambling or drinking cases were decided in Atlantic City.

In November 2008, the commission fined Bally’s Atlantic City $157,500 for allowing an underage woman to gamble numerous times. In February, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa was fined $105,000 for allowing underage gambling.

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