$111M casino planned for Berks County site
Local officials offer support for Penn National Gaming project
WYOMISSING >> The wheels are in motion for Penn National Gaming Inc. to build a casino on a vacant 36-acre site in Caernarvon Township, Berks County — near the intersections of three major roadways: the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-176, and the Morgantown Expressway (Route. 10).
Penn National filed an application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Oct. 31 for Hollywood Casino Morgantown, the company’s second Category 4 satellite gaming facility. That application is currently being reviewed to make sure it is complete before the approval process moves forward, according to a spokesman for the Gaming Control Board.
Hollywood Casino Morgantown will feature 750 slot machines and 30 table games, with the ability to accommodate an additional 10 table games. It will also offer a sports and race book, a signature restaurant, an entertainment lounge and a food court.
If approved, the facility is expected to generate approximately 250 new local jobs and more than 275 construction jobs. Construction is expected to take about 18 months following receipt of all required approvals, including final licensing by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Penn National looked at a number of locations in and around Berks County before settling on the Caernarvon site, according to the company.
“The site we selected is unparalleled in terms of ease of access to three major arteries,” Timothy
J. Wilmott, chief executive officer for Penn National Gaming, said in a press release. “Hollywood Casino Morgantown is ideally situated to generate new revenues from the more densely populated suburbs to the west of Philadelphia, while further protecting our existing market share at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.”
The proposed 80,000-square-foot facility will be visible as vehicles approach from all directions, according to Jeff Morris, Penn National vice president, public affairs and government relations.
While still early in the process, the application has received support from township officials. On the same day Penn National announced that it had filed its application, the Caernarvon Township Board of Supervisors issued a statement about the proposal.
In its statement, posted on the township’s website, the board said it has taken a “proactive approach” to gaming in Pennsylvania, by opting in to the Category 4 Casino program last year.
“The site identified by Penn National appears ideal for a casino use,” the statement states. “Hollywood Casino Morgantown should serve as an engine for economic growth in the community. The casino should increase the tax base and provide good jobs for our residents.”
Morris said he has already been meeting on an informal basis with some members of the community to answer some of their questions, and looks forward to a public hearing in Caernarvon. No date has been set for that hearing, but Morris and the Gaming Board expect it will be after the first of the year.
The company estimates it will invest nearly $111 million into the project, including the slot machines and table games license fees.
Penn National was awarded the Commonwealth’s first and fifth Category 4 licenses on January 10 and April 4, 2018, respectively. Category 4 gaming facilities are authorized by law to operate up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games. Tax revenue is dispersed at the state, county and local level.
Once built, Caernarvon Township will receive 2 percent of gross tax revenue on slot machines and 1 percent from table games at Hollywood Casino Morgantown.
So, what happens now?
According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, it could be several weeks before the application is considered to be complete. Part of the application, according to Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach, is a local impact report. Once the application is complete, it will be posted on the organization’s website.
Behind the scenes, Harbach explained, the agency will initiate a background check by the bureau of investigations and enforcement. While still an in depth look, he said, some information about Penn National Gaming is already known to the board.
“We will look at any other additional principals involved in the project, as well as the financial aspects of the project,” he said. “We will look at financial suitability and will also look long-term at the project to make sure it has the where withal and the numbers add up to be a successful project,”
The next step in the process will be that public hearing in Caernarvon — most likely at the township building — to allow residents to comment on the project.
“We will put up on the website a date and time for the hearing and also a website link that will enable people to sign up to speak at the event, or submit written comments,” Harbach said, adding that all the comments provided will be entered into the record and will be reviewed as part of the final decision.
A second hearing will then be held in Harrisburg where Penn National Gaming officials will answer questions from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board before the board renders a final decision — likely the same day.
State approval is only a portion of the process, however. According to Caernarvon Township Manager Joan Bair, the company will also need to bring its plans to the township planning commission for review. The planning commission will then make its recommendation to the board of supervisors.
“People will have a chance to be heard throughout the process,” Bair said. “Once the plans come to the planning commission, residents will be able to see the plan and the drawings and the impact on the township.”
“Penn National Gaming has been proud to call not only Pennsylvania, but Berks County, home for over 45 years,” said Wilmott. “We look forward to adding hundreds of new team members right here in our backyard and becoming an economic engine for Caernarvon Township and the greater Berks County business community.”
In September, Penn National Gaming filed an application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for Hollywood Casino York, the company’s first Category 4 satellite gaming facility. That facility would be located at the York Galleria Mall in Springettsbury. The public hearing for that facility was held Nov. 1.
Headquartered in Berks County, Penn National Gaming Inc. owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities and video gaming terminal operations with a focus on slot machine entertainment. As of Oct. 15, the company operated 40 facilities in 18 jurisdictions including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia. The Company also offers social online gaming through its Penn Interactive Ventures division. For more information visit https://www. pngaming.com.