Ind. company seeks last racetrack casino license
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
HARRISBURG — An Indianapolis company that recently received Pennsylvania’s last harness racing license has now applied for the state’s last racetrack casino license.
Centaur Inc. was the only applicant to seek the racetrack casino license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board by Monday’s deadline, said board spokesman Richard McGarvey. To seek a slot machine license, an applicant had to first receive a harness racing license from the state Harness Racing Commission.
Centaur has proposed building a $428 million racetrack casino along Route 422, west of New Castle and near the Ohio line. It is now trying to line up financing for the project it is calling Valley View Downs.
Now the gaming board will begin a process, which could take up to a year, to investigate the backgrounds of Centaur officials, who run a racetrack in Indianapolis and a casino in Colorado.
“We look forward to continuing this process and bringing a world-class harness racing and entertainment venue to Western Pennsylvania,” said Centaur spokesman Rick Kelly.
He said construction of the racetrack and casino would take about 12 months after Centaur gets its gaming license. The track will be one-mile in length, the first of that size in the state — most harness tracks are 5/8 mile in length. Centaur estimates the project will create 1,000 full- and part-time jobs at the track, casino, restaurants and shops as well as 1,500 construction jobs.
Centaur waged a four-year battle against Bedford Downs, a Lawrence County-based group, for the last harness license. It is especially valuable because it likely will lead to a slots license for Centaur, which estimates annual attendance at the racetrack casino of more than 4 million people.
The gaming board will hold a hearing on Centaur’s slots license bid in Lawrence County, where the new venue would be located, Mr. McGarvey said. He didn’t have a timetable for the hearing, but said it likely will be in the spring.
Then the board will hold “suitability” hearings in Harrisburg, aimed at making sure there is nothing in the backgrounds of Centaur officials that would make them ineligible to get a slots license and they have the financial wherewithal to complete the project.
So far, licenses have been issued to six racetrack casinos and five of them have opened: The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County; Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs near Wilkes-Barre; Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack, south of Philadelphia; and Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack in Bucks County. One more will open in February, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg.