Of the four submissions to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) for the Pittsburgh slot machine licence, only three now remain in contention. At the beginning of February the PGCB announced that the application for the Category 2 licence (stand alone slots parlour) by North Shore Gaming had failed to submit the statutory letter of credit or bond as required under the gaming act.

The three remaining licence applications are for Station Square on the Monongahela River (Harrah’s Entertainment/Forest City); the Uptown area (Isle of Capri); and North Shore (Don Barden). In April 2005 the Mayor of Pittsburgh set up a Task Force on Gaming to assess the possible location, social impact and design of a slot machine operation in the city. The physical impact of a casino designed to hold 3,000 slot machines, with potential to add a further 2,000, will affect neighbouring areas and traffic flow considerably.

So far the possible development of the North Shore district seems to be creating the most local concern. The North Side Chamber of Commerce plans to poll its board members on the subject and some major companies have said a North Shore casino would be a deterrent to business growth in the area. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who last night won the NFL Super Bowl in Detroit, and the Pittsburgh Pirates already oppose the Barden plan.

The Isle of Capri proposal is drawing criticism for being too close to around 10,000 students at Duquesne University. The Pittsburgh Penguins would benefit if the Isle of Capri application were successful, as the company would contribute to a new arena.

The Station Square project with Harrah’s has received less criticism, as the area is more isolated. As yet it is not easy to assess the amount of local opposition each application will meet. Just as in the rest of Pennsylvania wherever a slot machine operation has been proposed, both those in favour of a casino and those against will be lobbying hard within the local communities to get public opinion on their side.
(E-02.06.06)

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