PA Gaming Control Board To Hold Public Hearing On September 16th For Harrah's Chester License Renewal

Public Welcome And Invited To Participate

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced a hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 to gather evidence, including public comment, on the renewal of the Category 1 slot machine operator’s license of Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, operating as Harrah’s Chester.

The hearing will begin at 10:00 am at Chester City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd floor, located at 1 Fourth Street, Chester, PA 19013.

Citizens, community groups and elected officials wishing to present oral or written testimony which will become part of the evidentiary record in this matter can now register by clicking on a special link on the homepage of the PGCB website at www.pgcb.state.pa.us. The deadline for registration and the receipt of written comments is Noon on Monday, September 14th.

Comments can also be mailed, and postmarked no later than September 14th, to the PA Gaming Control Board, P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106, Attention: Board Secretary, or faxed to 717-346-8350.

Pursuant to section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses shall be subject to renewal on an annual basis upon the application of the slot machine license holder. The renewal application must include an update of the information contained in the initial application. To implement the annual renewal requirement, the Board will utilize a two-step process.

First, a public hearing will be held, preferably in or near the municipality where the casino operates, before the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record upon which the Board will base 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 public hearing before the Board in Harrisburg where the Board could ask any additional questions and the parties may offer oral argument. At the renewal hearings, the burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of its license. During the hearing, the licensee will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; tax revenue generated; jobs created; amenities added since opening of the casino, success in implementing its diversity plan and involvement in the surrounding community.

Following these proceedings, the Board will then be able to determine whether or not the licensee remains eligible and suitable consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth and is otherwise qualified to have its license renewed.

Additional information about the PA Gaming Control Board is available at its web site. At that site, you can learn more about the Board’s role in the oversight of legalized slot machine gaming in the Commonwealth and about the state’s gaming casinos. In addition, visitors to the site can access information to assist those who may have a compulsive gambling problem, review transcripts of meetings and hearings, file complaints for investigation, and request a speaker for their organization.

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