Unless you have been living under a rock over the past few weeks, then you most likely know that the state of Pennsylvania is planning to expand their gambling industry by massive proportions. Not only is the state set to offer online casino and poker gaming, they will also be offering video gaming terminals in truck stops and licensing for satellite casinos. For the satellite casinos, there will be ten licenses up for grabs. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will begin the New Year by auctioning off the licensing for operators to begin offering the smaller gaming venues.
The Auction Process Of Ten Licenses On January 10th
On January 10th, the Board will begin the auction process of ten licenses for the mini casinos. Lawmakers and the Governor of the state, Tom Wolf, created the new licensing when the revenue package was signed into law back in October. The new Category 4 licensing is now on offer to help fill the large state budget deficit.
The bidding for the Category 4 licensing will begin at $7.5 million. An additional $2.5 million will be needed for a satellite casino to offer table games. The casino will be limited to only 750 slot games and 30 table games. This will be much smaller than the traditional casinos found in the state which operate as many as 5,000 slot games.
Race Tracks And The Stand-alone Casino
The race tracks and the stand-alone casinos will be the first operators to have access to obtaining the satellite casino licensing. After the first auction takes place in January, nine more auctions will be provided for the remaining licensing available.
It is interesting to note that many of the municipalities in the state do not want to be involved with the new satellite casino gaming option. More than 400 townships have opted out of being host to the satellite casinos. Municipalities have until the end of this month to decide if they want to host or are not interested.
