Pennsylvania regulator awards new casino licence
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has awarded a Category 4 satellite casino licence in York County.
US.- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has revealed that it voted unanimously on Wednesday to award a licence to Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC (Penn National) to build a Category 4 casino in Springettsbury Township, York County.
The process to award the licence kicked off on January 12, 2018, when Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association secured a 15-mile radius area in which it could locate a casino with a winning bid of US$50 million. This happened at the first Category 4 auction held by the PGCB.
The Board conducted an in-depth background investigation of the application along with the collection of public input from citizens, community groups and public officials at a hearing held in Springettsbury Township on October 1, 2018.
Category 4 casinos
A Category 4 Slot Machine License permits the entity to operate between 300 and 750 slot machines. The entity could also petition for permission to initially operate up to 30 table games for an additional fee of US$2.5 million with the capability of adding an additional 10 tables games after its first year of operation.
According to what the company said to the PGCB, Hollywood Casino York will offer a re-purposed retail facility of 80k square feet at its opening. It will also feature 500 slot machines and 24 table games. The casino will count with a sports and racebook as well as casual dining, bar and entertainment facilities.
The Pennsylvania facility, which expects to create 260 construction jobs, is targeting a late 2020 or early 2021 opening. When operations are stabilised, Hollywood Casino York expects to have a workforce of 200 Full-Time Equivalent jobs.
