In Philadelphia, Casino License Contenders Court Public Opinion

In Philadelphia, Casino License Contenders Court Public Opinion

In Philadelphia, Casino License Contenders Court Public Opinion
As the battle for the Pennsylvania slots licenses wages on, casino operators are intent on capturing the support of local residents, politicians, and community leaders. Each casino operator seeks to prove that its gaming venue will have a more positive impact on the community in which its casino is built.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which is in charge of choosing from among the casino candidates, has announced plans to hold public hearings on the subject in the next few months. The Control Board is interested in learning to opinions of local residents and leaders on which is the best casino plan for their region, and is expected to give a great deal of credence to the wishes of area residents.

All in all, there are 22 applications for 14 available slot casino licenses. This means that, inevitably, there is more competition for certain categories of licenses. The most heated competitions can be found among the candidates for the two statewide standalone slots licenses, the single license to build a slots casino in Pittsburgh, and the two licenses for a casino in the state capitol, Philadelphia.

There are six applicants for the two statewide standalone licenses, three applicants for the single Pittsburgh slots casino license, and five applicants for the two slots casino licenses in Philadelphia. In addition to these applicants, there are others who do not face competition: there are seven racetrack slot gaming licenses and two casino resort licenses, and the same number of applicants.

The pretenders to the licenses that are contested, however, are waging a full- out war for public opinion. In the Poconos, for example, the Pocono Manor in Tobyhanna Township and Mount Airy Lodge in Paradise Township, which are only about 10 miles apart, are both seeking the two statewide standalone licenses, along with another two competitors, the Lehigh Valley Tropicana and Sands Bethworks Gaming.

The Pocono Manor is already promising to steer its customers to neighboring shops by not creating an all- compassing casino resort that patrons would not tend to leave. For its part, the Pocono Manor’s competitor for the license, Mount Airy Lodge, has courted the opinions of local officials by including comprehensive traffic flow studies in its plan.

Both Pocono Manor and Mount Airy Lodge made sure to have manned tables at the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce Expo.

The scene is similar in the Lehigh Valley, where the Allentown- based Lehigh Valley Tropicana and the Sands Bethworks Gaming potential operators are competing for one license. The Tropicana recently gave a grand fete for Lehigh Valley residents who are patrons of their Atlantic City location. Likewise, Sands Bethworks plans to give back to the community by building an industrial history museum and an entertainment complex including a convention center and a concert hall.

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