Public Input Hearing To Consider Permitting Table Games At Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s Lady Luck Casino Scheduled For February 7th
PGCB web site offers public documents and information on citizen participation
HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced that it would hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 7, 2013 to gather evidence in the form of public comment, on the petition submitted by Woodlands Fayette, LLC, in Fayette County requesting authorization to conduct table games at Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin.
Woodlands Fayette, LLC was awarded a Category 3 Slot Operator License in April, 2011 and anticipates opening Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin later this year and offering both slot machine and table games gambling.
The hearing will begin at 10:00 am at the Wharton Township Municipal Building located at 114 Elliottsville Road in Farmington, PA.
Citizens, community groups and elected officials wishing to present oral testimony, which will become part of the evidentiary record in this matter, can register to do so for this hearing by clicking on a special link in the Quick Links section of the PGCB website homepage at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. This link will not only provide information and assistance in participating in the hearing process, but also allow viewing and downloading of public documents related to Woodlands Fayette, LLC’s petition to permit table games and a list of hearing witnesses updated as they register. The deadline for registration to speak at this hearing is noon on Tuesday, February 5th.
Written comments on this matter can also be mailed, faxed or submitted electronically to the Board no later than Thursday, February 7th. Comments received by mail must be postmarked no later than that date to the PA Gaming Control Board, P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106, Attention: Board Secretary. If faxed, the comments should be sent to 717-346-8350 , while electronically-submitted comments can be provided through the special registration page for this hearing on the PGCB’s web site.
Background
The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act provides authorization for holders of the Slot Machine Operators License to also conduct table games in its casino through the filing of a petition with and approval by the Gaming Control Board. Prior to considering the petition, the Board holds a public input hearing on the matter in the municipality where the petitioner’s licensed slot machine facility is located. The Board must approve or deny the request within 60 days of the receipt of a complete petition.
The contents of a petition, along with the standards that are to be met in order to be considered for a table games certificate, are outlined in the Act. These include:
- the number and type of table games for which authorization is sought;
- the estimated number of full-time and part-time employment positions that will be created through the addition of table games;
- a description of the additional economic benefits expected to be realized by the Commonwealth and its residents;
- site plans identifying the petitioner’s proposed table game area; and,
- a description of the licensee’s plan to provide training and instruction for personnel.
A Category 3 license permits the casino at Nemacolin Woodlands to have a maximum of 600 slot machines in operation and, if the petition is approved, up to 50 table games.
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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