PA Gaming Control Board To Hold Public Hearing On July 9th For Sugarhouse Casino License Renewal

Public is welcome and invited to participate

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced a hearing will be held on Thursday, July 9, 2015 to gather evidence, including public comment, on the renewal of the operators’ license for HSP Gaming, LP, operator of the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia.

The hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. on that date in Room 115 A of the Pennsylvania Convention Center located at 1101 Arch Street in Philadelphia.

Complete information on the hearing, including links to sign up to present oral or written comment, is on the Board’s web site, www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, under its Quick Links section of the home page. The deadline for registration to speak at this hearing is noon on Tuesday, July 7^th.

Written comments can be mailed, with a postmark no later than Tuesday, July 7^th to:

PA Gaming Control Board

P.O. Box 69060

Harrisburg, PA 17106

Attention: Board Clerk

Comments can also be faxed prior to that deadline to 717-265-7416 or e-mailed to boardclerk@pa.gov.

Pursuant to section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses shall be subject to renewal every three years. 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, the July 9^th public hearing will be held 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 separate public hearing in Harrisburg at a later date where HSP Gaming, L.P. representatives will offer oral arguments and Board members can ask additional questions.

At the renewal hearing, the burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of the gaming license. During the hearings, 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; tax revenue generated; jobs created; amenities added since the last renewal; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding communities.

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 are otherwise qualified to have the license renewed for a three-year period.

All questions that are not press-related should be referred to the PGCB’s Office of Hearings and Appeals at (717) 265-7451.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 and is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry. There are 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two resort casinos. These facilities collectively employ 17,200 people and generate an average of $3.7 million per day in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners with additional tax revenue going to the horse racing industry, economic development projects, fire companies, county fairs, water and sewer projects, the Commonwealth’s General Fund, and to local governments that host casinos.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

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