A report compiled by the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force is due to be released today and forwarded to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). The task force was set up as an independent body to monitor the licensing process and its report will include findings but stop short of making recommendations. The task force met with all three applicants for the Pittsburgh slots parlour licence on 25 May, but the meetings remained private at the request of the companies involved, owing to the sensitive nature of financial information revealed.

The three proposals that the PGCB must consider have been submitted by a consortium with Harrah’s Entertainment, another with Isle of Capri and one from Detroit businessman Don Barden. The Harrah’s project for Pittsburgh’s Station Square includes condominiums and a retail development. The Pittsburgh Penguins together with Isle of Capri and others plan to build a hockey arena and residential development in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Don Barden’s proposal is for the banks of the Ohio River on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Whichever project is granted the Pittsburgh licence, the company involved will have to pay a US$50 million fee to the state of Pennsylvania and, once operational, a 57% tax on revenue.

In Philadelphia yesterday there were demonstrations by anti gambling lobbies protesting against the projects for two casino licenses to be granted in the city. In rural areas around Bethlehem, where Las Vegas Sands is bidding for a casino licence, locals are protesting they will see traffic congestion without benefiting from slot machine revenue. Today is the deadline for local governments, members of the public and others to file written statements with the Gaming Control Board on the casino licence applications. The PGCB is expected to make a decision on the licence applications before the end of the year.
(E-06.02.06)

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