The city of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania tries to bill itself as “The Christmas City”, which makes plans for gambling operations seem out of place. The former steel town aims at a family-friendly atmosphere, and there are quaint shops, holiday craft shows and carriage rides to promote that image. However, the prospect of job creation and million dollar revenues seem set to change the city’s character.

There are now two proposals to build slot machine venues in Bethlehem. BethWorks Now and Las Vegas Sands, Inc. want to put a slots parlour on their recently purchased 120-acre site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant, and a local Bethlehem developer has teamed up with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in a project to place a slots casino on 50-acres near Interstate 78. The Indian tribe is the owner of the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

Bethlehem is near to large numbers of potential clients in the Lehigh Valley, as well as further afield in New York, New Jersey and Delaware. In the present legislation that allows slots parlours in Pennsylvania, local communities have no say in where they can be sited. The Gaming Control Board makes the decision, although moves are afoot to return the power to local zoning authorities. One third of the annual revenues, estimated as going to be around $3 billion, are supposed to go toward reducing local property taxes.

Pennsylvania is issuing 14 licences to operate slot machines, and all but two are destined for racetracks, resorts and the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Bethlehem will be in the running for one of the two non-track, non-resort licences outside the big cities. The Bethlehem officials seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach. They don’t want to lose the character of their Christmas City, but nor do they want to miss out on economic growth for their area. State Senator Lisa Boscola, a Democrat, is happy to have two competing projects in Bethlehem, and would like even more. She is convinced that if the Gaming Board rejects the first proposal then it makes sense to have another, or others, to take its place.

Meanwhile, the not so little town of Bethlehem will enjoy another traditional Christmas season before the prospect of gaming maybe becomes a reality. When and if it does, the citizens may find that having a licensed slot machine operator in their vicinity does not irrevocably alter the atmosphere, and Bethlehem will remain The Christmas City, albeit with a few extra jingle bells.

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