Gaming Control Board Suspends Gaming Operations For All Casinos

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today instructed the six Pennsylvania casinos that are open as of today to begin closing procedures so that all gaming activities and entry to patrons is concluded by 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 17. The order to close follows the rapid expansion of reported COVID-19 cases and is aimed at mitigating the spread of the virus.

While the closure of the casinos is temporary, there is no specific indication of when reopening will occur.

The casinos that are affected by this notice are:

·         Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course

·         Mount Airy Casino Resort

·         Mohegan Sun Pocono

·         Lady Luck Nemacolin

·         Meadows Casino and Racetrack

·         Presque Isle Racetrack and Casino

The other six casino which have closed are:

·         Valley Forge Casino and Resort

·         Harrah’s Philadelphia

·         Parx Casino

·         Rivers Philadelphia

·         Rivers Pittsburgh

·         Wind Creek Bethlehem

The public health and safety of patrons, casino employees and others are of paramount importance. The Board is continuously monitoring developments and will update licensees and the public as frequently as possible with any new developments.

Up to date information on the impact of the COVID-19 Virus on the Commonwealth's gaming industry regulated by the Gaming Control Board can be found on the agency's website.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling legalized under 2004’s Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017. In addition to slot machine and table games gambling at land-based casinos, the expansion includes online casino games available to date on seven sites; sports wagering offered through sportsbooks at 13 retail locations and through eight online outlets; video gaming terminals (VGTs) offered as of this date at 27 qualified truck stops; and, fantasy sports contests through eight providers.

The mature land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ over 16,000 people and annually generate over $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. Construction of a 13^th casino is currently underway along with a number of new “mini-casinos” that are expected to begin operation over the next couple of years.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov . You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.