The PA Gaming Control Board Wednesday held the first in a series of auctions in a process that establishes the order in which the winning bidders select a location for a Category 4 casino.
At the public bid opening, in which 4 bids were received, Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, which operates Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, was the high bidder with a bid of $50,100,000.
The gaming expansion bill passed in October authorizes up to 10 mini-casinos. The FY 2018-19 budget agreement calls for $238.5 million to come from expanded gaming application and license fees, including the mini-casinos.
The center of the Category 4 location, which is an area 30 miles in diameter, chosen by Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC is located in the Borough of Yoe in York County.
Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, is required to pay the bid price to the Commonwealth within two business days, and then has up to six months to submit an application for the Category 4 slot machine license.
The application will contain the precise site of the proposed Category 4 casino, as well as detailed plans and information concerning the proposed building plan, amenities, employment projections and other related information.
Once the application is received, the Board will post public information about the project on its website for interested persons to review.
A Category 4 slot machine license would permit the entity to operate between 300 and 750 slot machines. The entity could also petition for permission to initially operate up to 30 table games for an additional fee of $2.5 million with the capability of adding an additional 10 tables games after its first year of operation.
The Gaming Control Board plans to hold its next public auction on January 24 at 10:00 a.m. in its Harrisburg Public Hearing Room in Strawberry Square. The auction will also be streamed live from the Board's website. Subsequent auctions are planned every two weeks thereafter on Wednesdays at the same time and location.
Additional information on the Category 4 auction process is available on the PA Gaming Control Board website.
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