The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has unanimously voted to issue a new license to Stadium Casino for a Category 4 gambling facility set to open in the Hempfield Township of Westmoreland County.
Stadium Casino lodged a winning bid of $40.1m at the second Category 4 auction held by the Board, concluding a process that began back in January 2018 when Stadium Casino secured a 15-mile radius area to construct the Live! Casino Pittsburgh facility.
Having secured the right to develop a casino, the venue’s plans were then examined by the PGCB before the decision was taken to award the operating license.
Following approval, Stadium Casino plans to renovate a 100,000sq ft area at the Westmoreland Mall in order to offer gambling services, as well as open dining and entertainment venues on site.
The approval covers a Category 4 Slot Machine License, which permits the casino to operate between 300 and 750 slot machines, as well as certification for table games.
Stadium Casino can also petition for permission to operate up to 30 table games for an additional fee of $2.5m, with the option to add a further 10 table games after its first year of operation.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh is scheduled to open next year, creating 500 jobs in the process.
The latest round of license auctions are scheduled to be held in September, with ten Category 4 licences available in total. To date five have already been awarded, with Penn National Gaming paying $50.1m for a facility in Springettsbury Township, York County, and $7.5m for a facility in Caernarvon Township, Berks County.
Aside from Stadium Casino’s Pittsburgh facility, Mount Airy paid $21.2m for a Big Beaver Borough facility and Parx Casino operator Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment paid $8.1m for the right to obtain a licence for a venue in Shippensburg Township.
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