The auction for the second Pennsylvania mini-casino license was held on Wednesday morning and has been awarded to Stadium Casino LLC, whose $40.1 million bid was the highest. The group has selected Derry Township in Westermoreland Country for the location of the new casino.
Stadium LLC does not currently have a casino in PA, but it is the same group that has plans to build a $600 million dollar Live! Hotel and Casino in Philadelphia, slated to become the 13th casino in Pennsylvania in 2020. It has until Friday to pay the $40.1 price tag to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for its successful bid.
Location of the 2nd mini-casino
Derry Township is located near Greensburg and is about a 40 minute drive from Pittsburgh. The location was selected due largely to its proximity to the state’s second largest city. The casino is expected to attract some patrons from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino and Rivers Casino but also new customers between the two casinos.
As long as the proposed casino location is no more than 35 miles from an existing casino and the town or place has not opted-out, a mini casino can be built. Watch a local report from WPXI on the new location:
Stadium LLC will be allowed to build a casino with up to 700 slot machines and up to 30 table games with another 10 after a year.
Next auction: February 7th
Wednesday’s auction comes two weeks after Penn National bid surprised nearly everyone with their $50 million bid for the rights to put a mini-casino in South Eastern Pennsylvania near York. The company is also simultaneously trying to sue the state as it claims the new mini-casino location rules could unfairly hurt Penn National’s Hollywood Casino.
The two winning bids for PA mini casino licenses have totaled over $90 million, a figure that is sure to please those who supported the legislation and the state’s efforts to raise money for the budget. Pennsylvania’s existing 10 casino owners are given exclusive access to the bidding process until PA casinos begin passing on the auctions. A minimum bid of $7.5 million is required.
A third mini-casino auction will take place two weeks from now on February 7th. Subsequent auctions will be held every 2 weeks through May. Reading and Clearfield County are among the locations which could draw attention as additional mini-casino auctions are held.