Pennsylvania’s third mini-casino will be located in western Pennsylvania.
Mount Airy #1, LLC, which currently operates Mount Airy Casino Resort in the tourist-rich Poconos region of Pennsylvania, entered a $21,188,888.88 bid for a Category 4 casino license, the highest of three such bids opened Thursday morning at a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) meeting.
The company plans to build a mini-casino near New Castle, Lawrence County, a city of around 22,000 people located near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and a two-hour drive away from Johnstown.
A company that wins the bidding for a Category 4 casino license wins the ability to build a mini-casino – one with between 300 and 750 slot machines – on a site within a 15-mile radius of a spot of its choosing in Pennsylvania.
In this case, Mount Airy #1, LLC, picked a point with geographic coordinates 41.01808, -80.26478. According to maps, that point is located in an empty field near the intersection of state Routes 388 and 108, around four miles east of downtown New Castle.
It is not clear yet exactly where the company plans to build.
The Grove City Premium Outlets, one of the nation’s largest outlet shopping malls, are located within 15 miles of the chosen point. The popular retail spot draws shoppers not only from Pennsylvania, but also from several nearby states and Canada.
Also within the 15-mile radius are popular recreation spots McConnells Mill State Park and Moraine State Park, as well as the municipalities of Slippery Rock, Ellwood City, Mercer and New Castle itself, among others.
Some elected officials in Johnstown and Cambria County have voiced hopes in recent months that one of the 10 to-be-built mini-casinos will be located in the Johnstown region, a move that would bring gambling revenue to the area.
Mount Airy #1, LLC, is required to pay the full amount of its bid to the PGCB by 4:00 p.m. Monday.
The PGCB did not identify the two bidders whose bids fell short Thursday or the amounts of their bids, a move meant to keep that information from influencing future auctions.
The fourth Category 4 license bid will be opened at 10:00 a.m. Feb. 21.
Two previous Category 4 licenses were awarded to entities that plan to build near Derry Township, Westmoreland County, and near the York County borough of Yoe.
