HARRISBURG: Because of overwhelming public interest in gaming facilities proposed for the Lehigh Valley, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has added a third day of hearings on the applications, Anne LaCour Neeb, Executive Director of the PGCB, said today.

The new date, Monday May 22, 2006, is in addition to the previously announced April 28, 2006, and May 23, 2006, hearings on the three proposals.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced details of its fourth day of public-input hearings on proposed gaming facilities in the Philadelphia area.

The additional hearings, which will cover applications for two gaming facilities at Philadelphia-area racetracks, will take place on Friday May 12, 2006, at the Bossone Building Auditorium on the campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Bossone Building is on Market Street between 31st and 32nd streets. The hearings will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has postponed the regular public meeting of the Board scheduled for April 20, 2006.

The next regularly scheduled public meeting of the Board is at 10 a.m. on Thursday May 4, 2006. It will take place in Hearing Room #1 of the North Office Building, Commonwealth Avenue and Third Street, Harrisburg.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced a new location for the Wednesday May 3, 2006, public-input hearing on a proposed gaming facility that would be located at the Seven Springs Resort in Somerset County.

The new location is the Quality Inn & Conference Center at 215 Ramada Road, Somerset, near the Somerset Exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced several changes to its 2006 schedule of public meetings:

HARRISBURG: Ray Angeli was sworn in today as a member of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board during the Board's regular meeting in Harrisburg.

"It's an honor and a privilege to once again serve the people of Pennsylvania,"said Angeli, who served as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs during the administration of Governor Robert P. Casey Sr. "I look forward to the work that the Board and I will be doing in the coming months to bring gaming to the Commonwealth."

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today began a 10-day public-comment period on draft regulations governing licensing hearings, and accounting and internal controls regulations. The comment period on both sets of regulations ends May 15, 2006.

Separately, the Board approved final regulations governing intervention in the hearings and appeals process.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today voted unanimously to award licenses to three companies that filed applications to be manufacturers of slot machines and associated equipment.

All three licenses are subject to a series of 40 conditions set by the Board to ensure that the requirements of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and Board regulations are met.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today began 10-day public-comment periods on three sets of draft regulations: Certification of Vendor Key Employee Qualifiers and Key Employees; Horsemen's Organizations; and Underage Gaming.

Comments must be postmarked by June 1, 2006, to be considered. The draft regulations are available on the Board's Web site, www.pgcb.state.pa.us. Click on "Regulations" and "Draft Regulations" to view these drafts.

ALLENTOWN: Tad Decker, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, today commented on the conclusion of 18 days of public-input hearings across the state on 22 applications submitted to the Gaming Control Board for the 14 gaming licenses the Board is empowered by statute to award. The final hearing was held today in Allentown.

Chairman Decker’s statement follows: