Hearing on Proposed Hampden Township Gaming Facility

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently announced the schedule of public input hearings for four applicants vying for the remaining Category 3 license that would permit the operation of up to 600 slot machines and a maximum of 50 table games at a resort hotel.
Public input hearings provide a forum for individuals to voice their support or opposition to a proposed casino in their community, and permit those persons with an interest in the applicant’s proposal to learn more about the:

• character, operational and financial suitability;
• community impact;
• diversity plans;
• plans for the prevention of compulsive gaming; and,
• other issues about the proposed facility.

Information received by the Board during these proceedings will be included in the record upon which the Board will grant or deny licenses.

Residents, community groups and elected officials wishing to present testimony at the public input hearings must register prior to the hearing and can do so by clicking on a special link on the homepage of the PGCB website at www.pgcb.state.pa.us. Additionally, those who cannot attend but would like to submit written comments for the record can do so up to 60 days following the hearing. Written comments can be submitted either through same web site link, by fax to 717-346-8350, or via mail to:

PA Gaming Control Board
P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106
Attention: Board Secretary

Per provisions of the Gaming Act, all hearings will be held within the local municipality in which the proposed casino would be located. All hearings will begin at 10:00 a.m. The below schedule includes a date and time when individuals or groups must be signed up to present testimony at the hearing:

Penn Harris Gaming, LP – Hampden Township, Cumberland County
Date: August 30, 2010
Location: Hampden Township Municipal Building
230 South Sporting Hill Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050

The deadline for registration to present at this hearing is Noon, Wednesday, August 25, 2010.

Should the Board require additional time to receive testimony, additional days may be added to the schedule for any of these hearings.

The Board will place additional materials related to each applicant on the web site in the near future. These would include items such as Local Impact Reports and Diversity Plans. The Board will also announce when the applications for each Category 3 applicant will be available for public inspection in its Harrisburg offices.

The Board will also schedule Licensing Hearings in Harrisburg for the four applicants later this year. Those hearings provide an opportunity for the Board to receive additional testimony from the applicants and also question those applicants. Public input will not be taken at those hearings, only at the announced Public Input Hearings.

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