Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board To Hold Public Input Hearing In Shippensburg Township

on May 20th for Greenwood Gaming’s Category 4 Casino Application

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced today that it will hold a public input hearing on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on the campus of Shippensburg University.  The purpose of this hearing is to collect testimony on the Category 4 casino application submitted by Greenwood Cumberland Op Co. d/b/a Parx Casino Shippensburg.

The hearing, which begins at 4:00 p.m., will provide a forum for individuals to voice their support or opposition to the proposed casino and to permit those persons with an interest in the applicant’s proposal to learn more about the project which has moved from its original proposed location, just off Exit 27 of Interstate 81, to the former Lowe’s Home Supply store in the Shippen Town Center.

In making the decision to hold the hearing with COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the Board has adopted a “hybrid” model that will permit individuals to choose to attend and/or provide oral testimony either in person or online.

For anyone planning to attend the hearing in person, it is important to note that you will be required to abide by the COVID-19 policies of Shippensburg University.  At present, that requires all individuals to wear a mask while on campus, both indoors and outdoors, and also requires that individuals maintain 6 feet social distancing whenever possible.

In addition, since some individuals and groups may have already provided testimony at the previous public input hearing held on March 25, 2019, the Board is permitting previously submitted testimony, either written or oral, to be entered as part of the record with respect to this new proposed location, whenever doing so is appropriate and requested by the party previously submitting the testimony.

A website page has been established with additional information on this project and a link that would permit citizens, public officials and community groups to choose to speak at this hearing, submit new written testimony, or resubmit previously provided oral or written testimony. To assist those who submitted testimony or spoke at the 2019 hearing, there is also a link that will enable them to find that previously submitted testimony for review. This page can be accessed by visiting the Board’s website, https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov , and clicking on the “Category 4 Applications and Public Input Hearing Information” box on the left, under the Quick Links section.

The deadline for registration to speak, submit written testimony, or have testimony from the 2019 hearing resubmitted is noon on Monday, May 17, 2021. A listing of all government officials, community groups and individuals who have registered to speak will be posted on the Board’s web site beginning one week prior to the hearing and updated daily.

While written comments can be submitted directly through the Board’s website, for those who wish to do so by email, fax or mail, those can be submitted to the below:

E-mail:boardclerk@pa.gov

Fax:     717-265-7416

Mail:    PA Gaming Control Board

P.O. Box 69060

Harrisburg, PA 17106

Attention: Board Clerk

A separate public hearing will be held at a later date in Harrisburg where Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc. representatives and the Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel will offer any updated evidence and make oral argument as to whether the license should be granted. At that later hearing, unlike the May 20^th hearing, which is primarily meant to capture public input, the Board members can also ask questions of the applicant and Enforcement Counsel.

All questions that are not press-related should be referred to the PGCB’s Office of Hearings and Appeals at (717) 265-7451.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling at 14 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops, along with the regulation of online fantasy sports contests.

The land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania consists of six racetrack (Category 1) casinos, five stand-alone (Category 2) casinos, two resort (Category 3) casinos and one mini-casino (Category 4).  Casino expansion will continue over the next couple of years with the anticipated openings of up to four additional Category 4 casinos. A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming annually generate over $1.5 billion in tax revenue.

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 .