Pennsylvania Moves Closer to Approving New Slot Machine Licenses

Everything was on the negotiating table -- from location and financial strength -- at a hearing yesterday before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board meeting in Harrisburg, the state capital.

The seven voting members of the commission revealed little, if anything, about whom they preferred. The board began closed-door deliberations, immediately after the end of the meeting, without any comment about the applicants.

The board is expected to announce the winners during its meeting this week.

"This, in effect, has been a beauty contest between the applicants," said Stephen Schrier, an attorney for Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia, which is hoping to build a $560 million slot machine facility in gritty South Philadelphia.

In addition to making a decision on Philadelphia, the board will also determine which gaming companies can open slot casinos in Pittsburgh and other locations, including Gettysburg, Allentown, Bethlehem, and the Poconos.

The key for Foxwoods, Schrier told the board, "is what's inside, what is in our heart, what is the heart of our application." If selected, the company plans to donate $300 million over the next decade to charities benefiting disadvantaged children.

The Donald

There is fierce competition for the licenses -- even from the famous Donald Trump.

Trump's proposed casino is one out of the five proposed for a site off the waterfront, according to lawyer Bob Pickus, who represents Trump.
The TrumpStreet facility would operate on the former Budd plant site in Nicetown/East Falls, and Pickus said it would help "revitalize the surrounding neighborhood." Interestingly, Brian Tierney, publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, is among the investors.

Board members listened to the presentations, which were limited to 15 minutes. Their questions centered on the impact casinos might have on traffic and the surrounding communities.

The board will award five stand-alone licenses, overall.

Gaming board officials said the board is following strict criteria when selecting the winners: if applicants can maintain a successful, revenue-producing casino; how they might finance the casino; and their economic impact on the communities.

After they award the licenses, they will issue a written opinion explaining their decisions, according to a spokesman for the board.

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