Casino news source: Centre Daily - http://www.centredaily.com/
Erie slots casino may not open by Feb. 15
Associated Press
ERIE, Pa. - A slot-machine casino at Presque Isle Downs racetrack may not open as scheduled next week, even though a company spokesman said the facility and an ad campaign are ready to go.
"The state also has to go through a process on their end, and it's starting to look increasingly likely they will not be able to meet the Feb. 15 deadline," Presque Isle Downs spokesman John Brabender told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
A recently filled vacancy on the state Gaming Control Board and a pending lawsuit may delay the opening until at least March.
The new appointee to the gaming board, former Bucknell University president Gary Sojka, cannot vote on the casino's proposed Feb. 15 opening date until his background check is complete. That process can take up to a month.
Also, a group called Citizens Against Gambling Subsidies has sued to challenge the casino's license. By law, the gaming board cannot certify an opening date for a casino if there is a lawsuit pending against it.
Presque Isle Downs officials have asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for an expedited hearing on that suit.
Presque Isle Downs would be the state's fourth slot-machine gambling parlor, and the first in western Pennsylvania. |
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