PRESS RELEASE

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) will hold a hearing on Thursday, June 27, 2024 to take public comment on the renewal of the Category 2 Slot Machine Operator License for Wind Creek Bethlehem, LLC, operator of Wind Creek Bethlehem casino in the city of Bethlehem, Northampton County. The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be held at the:

Bethlehem City Hall

Town Hall Rotunda Bldg.

10 E. Church St.

Bethlehem PA 18018

Citizens, public officials and community groups can choose to speak or submit written testimony. The hearing is open to the public.

Individuals who wish to provide in-person or written testimony should visit the Board’s website, gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, and choose the special link on the homepage in the “PGCB Meetings” section for more information and registration.  Persons wishing to provide comments will need to register ahead of time. The deadline for registration to speak or submit written testimony is noon on Tuesday, June 25th. 

A listing of all government officials, community groups and individuals who have registered to speak at this hearing will be posted on the Board’s website beginning the week prior to the hearing and updated daily.

Written comments can be submitted directly through the Board’s website. For those who wish to do so by email, fax or mail, they can be submitted as outlined below:

E-mail:           boardclerk@pa.gov

Fax:                 717-265-7416

Mail:                PA Gaming Control Board

  303 Walnut Street/5^th Fl. Commonwealth Tower

  Harrisburg, PA 17101

Attention:      Board Clerk

Pursuant to Section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses are subject to periodic renewal.  The renewal application must include an update of the information since its last renewal. 

To implement the renewal requirement, the Board utilizes a two-step process:  

• First, a public input hearing is held in the municipality where the casino operates before the Director of the Board’s Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record which the Board will use in its licensing decision.  The hearing record, along with a report from the Director of Hearings and Appeals, will be transmitted to the Board. 

• The second step is to hold a separate public hearing in Harrisburg at a later date where representatives of the casino licensee will offer evidence and oral arguments. At that time, the Board members can ask additional questions. 

The burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of a gaming license.  During the hearing, the renewal applicant will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; as well as provide evidence on tax revenue generated; jobs created; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding communities. 

Following this proceeding, the Board will ultimately determine whether the licensee remains eligible and suitable consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth and are otherwise qualified to have the license renewed for a five-year period.

All questions that are not press-related should be referred to the Board’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 involving 17 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 four mini-casinos (Category 4).  A significant job generator in the Commonwealth, casinos and the other types of Board-regulated gaming generated $2.35 billion in tax revenue in 2023.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey - (717) 346-8321

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