PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today unanimously approved the request by the operator of SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia to modify a previously approved-development plan of the facility.

The approved modifications include a repositioning of the parking garage along with a reduction in height of the garage, an expansion of the current gaming floor space, and the addition of new space that can be used for events and conferences. 

SugarHouse officials estimated that the expansion, which will cost approximately $155 million, will create 1,600 construction jobs and 450 new permanent jobs at the casino.

The request by HSP Gaming, L.P. was approved after the Board held both a public input hearing in Philadelphia on May 7, 2013 to received public input from citizens, community groups and public officials. A total of 21 persons testified at the public input hearing with an additional 2 written testimonies received. Additionally, a hearing was held today prior to the vote on the expansion at the Board’s regularly scheduled public meeting. 

A PowerPoint presentation that was displayed at the public input hearings is available under the Meetings tab on the PGCB’s web site, www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. Choose the May 7, 2013 on the calendar to access the presentation. A video of both the May 7 public input hearing and today’s meeting are also available on the website.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 with the passage of Act 71, also known as the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Pennsylvania’s first new state agency in nearly 30 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry. The 11 casinos in operation all offer both slot machine and table game gambling, employ over 16,000 people, and collectively generate an average of $4 million per day in tax revenue. A portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners; provide funds to the Commonwealth’s horse racing industry, fire companies, a statewide water and sewer project grant program, and the state’s General Fund; and, established a new stream of tax revenue to local governments that host casinos for community projects. 

A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board’s regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. At this website, visitors can watch Board meetings live or view videos of past meetings, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, obtain information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

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