Vol. 3, No. 12, December 2006
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Pennsylvania: Let the games begin
It’s been a long, hard road since Pennsylvania’s legislature approved slot machines at 14 venues in 2004. However, last month, after many bumps in the road as a regulatory apparatus formed and as the state gaming law was amended, the first Pennsylvania slots went live.
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs held its grand opening celebration in November, and the doors to the new racino build by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority opened with the approval of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Phase One of the Mohegan Sun project features two floors housing almost 1,100 slot machines, a food court, bar and patio. An additional third floor will be used for office space. Future construction phases will expand the facility to the maximum allowable 5,000 slot machines, as well as adding more retail shops, a nightclub and other amenities.
Pocono Downs is the first of 14 planned slot venues in the state, many of which have yet to be licensed. It is the first of six racetracks to open, having received one of the provisional Category 1 slot licenses in late September.
Last month, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell—after signing changes to the state gaming code into law—accepted a check of $50 million from the Mohegan authority. The payment, for the license fee, was accepted in a ceremony recognizing it as the first slot revenue paid by a gaming entity to the commonwealth. “As gaming continues to come on line in Pennsylvania, we will move closer and closer to guaranteed property tax relief for each and every homeowner,” Rendell said at the ceremony. “Gaming facilities like Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs will help fund the largest property tax reduction in Pennsylvania history, in turn helping working families and young Pennsylvanians trying to purchase their first home, and retired homeowners who risk losing their houses.”
