The seven-member Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board unanimously approved licenses for five locations yesterday, and some racetracks could start operating the machines as early as the end of the year. The licences are for Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack, Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg and The Meadows in Pittsburgh.

The approvals signal the biggest advance towards full casino licensing in the Keystone State, where Las Vegas type operations are expected to follow. It is more than two years after the state legalized up to 61,000 slot machines at 14 venues statewide, and some of the racetracks plan to open slots casinos before the end of the year, and the rest would open next year.

The track owners include the nation's largest casino operator, Las Vegas based, Harrah's Entertainment Inc., and the Mohegan Indian tribe, which operates the successful Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. On a different note, the state's sixth horse-racing track, Presque Isle Downs, under construction near Erie, is likely to likely to know about its future later next month. (E-09.28.06)

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