PA Gaming Control Board To Hold Public Hearing On October 14th For Philadelphia Park Slots License Renewal

Hearing is first step to consider renewal; public welcome to attend and participate

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced a hearing will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 to gather evidence, including public comment, on the renewal of the Category 1 slot machine operator’s license of Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., operators of Philadelphia Park Casino Racetrack.

The hearing will begin at 10:00 am at Bensalem Township Council Chambers at 2400 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020.

Citizens, community groups and elected officials wishing to present oral or written testimony which will become part of the evidentiary record in this matter can now register by clicking on a special link on the homepage of the PGCB website at www.pgcb.state.pa.us. The deadline for registration and the receipt of written comments is Noon on Monday, October 12th.

Comments can also be mailed, and postmarked no later than October 12th, to the PA Gaming Control Board, P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106, Attention: Board Secretary, or faxed to 717-346-8350.

Pursuant to section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses shall be subject to renewal on an annual basis upon the application of the slot machine license holder. The renewal application must include an update of the information contained in the initial application. To implement the annual renewal requirement, the Board is utilizing a two-step process.

First, a public input hearing will be held, preferably in or near the municipality where the casino operates, before the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record upon which the Board will base its licensing decision. The hearing record, along with a report from the Director of Hearings and Appeals, will be transmitted to the Board. To date, public input hearings have been held for Downs Racing, LP, operators of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Casino, and Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, operating as Harrah’s Chester.

The second step is to hold a public hearing before the Board in Harrisburg where the Board could ask any additional questions and the parties may offer oral argument. At the renewal hearings, the burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of its license. During the hearing, the licensee will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; tax revenue generated; jobs created; amenities added since the opening of the casino; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding community. A hearing for Downs Racing, LP is scheduled to take place prior to the next public meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday, September 23rd at 10:00 am.

Following the completion of both of these proceedings, the Board will then be able to determine whether or not the licensee remains eligible and suitable, consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth, and is otherwise qualified to have its license renewed.

Additional information about the PA Gaming Control Board is available at its web site. At that site, you can learn more about the Board’s role in the oversight of legalized slot machine gaming in the Commonwealth and about the state’s gaming casinos. In addition, visitors to the site can access information to assist those who may have a compulsive gambling problem, review agendas and transcripts of meetings and hearings, file complaints for investigation, retrieve revenue reports, and request a speaker for their organization.

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