Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board To Hold Category 3 Suitability Hearings October 22 And 23

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today released an altered schedule for the licensing suitability hearings of two remaining applicants vying for Category 3 licenses. The schedule change was made due to yesterday’s announced withdrawal of Split Rock Resort as an applicant for a license.

The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act permits the Board to award up to two licenses permitting a maximum of 500 slot machines in well-established resort hotels. Properties located in Pennsylvania that could qualify for a Category 3 license must be well-established resort hotels with no fewer than 275 guest rooms under common ownership, not located within 15 linear miles of any other licensed slot machine casino, and already offering substantial year-round recreational guest amenities on their premises including but not limited to:

•   Sports and recreational activities such as a golf course or driving range
•   Tennis courts
•   Swimming pools or a water park
•   A health spa
•   Meeting and banquet facilities
•   Entertainment facilities
•   Restaurant facilities
•   Downhill or cross-country skiing facilities
•   Bowling lanes
•   Movie theaters

The Act, along with regulations established by the Board, restricts who can enter the gaming area of a Category 3 casino. Those permitted to utilize the gaming facility include registered overnight guests, patrons of one or more amenities, authorized employees and other persons authorized by the Board, and individuals holding a Board-approved and valid seasonal or year-round membership to use one or more of the amenities at the resort.

The hearings will be held at the Pennsylvania State Museum located at the corner of Third and North Streets in Harrisburg:

October 22, 2008 -- 3:00 p.m.
Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P.
The Valley Forge Convention Center has 488 hotel rooms on 850,000 square feet of property and is located at 1160 First Avenue in King of Prussia, Montgomery County.
October 23, 2008 -- 1:30 p.m.
Bushkill Group, Inc. (Fernwood Hotel & Resort)
Fernwood Hotel & Resort and The Villas at Tree Tops and Fairway is a 440 acre hotel resort located on Route 209 in Bushkill, Monroe County.

These hearings provide the Board with an opportunity to hear directly from the applicants on their suitability to gain licensure. In turn, the Board will question applicants about their character, operational and financial suitability, community impact, diversity plans, plans for the prevention of compulsive gaming and other issues.

The Board previously conducted eligibility hearings for these applicants on October 16 - 17, 2007 in Harrisburg and public input hearings within the municipality in which each applicant plans to locate the gaming facility. Those hearings were held for the Bushkill Group on April 30, 2008 and on May 20, 2008 for Valley Forge. Testimony that was placed on the public record was gathered that day, and the Board also permitted written comments to be submitted for 60 days after those dates that became part of the public record.

For more information about the PA Gaming Control Board, you can visit its website at www.pgcb.state.pa.us.

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