Public Input Hearing to Consider Permitting Table Games at Valley Forge Convention Center Casino Set for January 11th

PGCB web site offers public documents and information on citizen participation

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced that it would hold a public hearing on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, to gather evidence, including public comment, on the petition submitted by Valley Forge Convention Center Partners, L.P. to gain authorization to conduct table games at its yet-to-be opened resort casino in Montgomery County.

The hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge, 260 Mall Boulevard in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Citizens, community groups and elected officials wishing to present oral or written testimony, which will become part of the evidentiary record in this matter, can register for this hearing by clicking on a special link on the homepage of the PGCB website at www.gaming controlboard.pa.gov. This link will not only provide information and assistance in participating in the hearing process, but also allow viewing and downloading of public documents related to Valley Forge Convention Center Casino's petition to permit table games and a list of hearing witnesses updated as they register.  

The deadline for registration and the receipt of written comments for this hearing is noon on Monday, January 9th. Comments can also be mailed, with a postmark no later than Monday, January 9th, to the PA Gaming Control Board, P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106, Attention: Board Secretary, or the comments can be faxed to 717-346-8350.

The Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act provides authorization for Pennsylvania casinos to conduct table games through the filing of a petition with and approval by the Gaming Control Board.  Prior to considering a petition, the Board must hold a public input hearing on the matter in the municipality where the petitioner's licensed slot machine facility is located.   The Board must approve or deny the request within 60 days of the receipt of a complete petition.

The contents of a petition, along with the standards that are to be met in order to be considered for a table games certificate, are outlined in the Act. These include:

• the number and type of table games for which authorization is sought;
• the estimated number of full-time and part-time employment positions that will be created through the addition of table games;
• a description of the additional economic benefits expected to be realized by the Commonwealth and its residents;
• site plans identifying the petitioner's proposed table game area; and,
• a description of the licensee's plan to provide training and instruction for personnel.

Valley Forge Convention Center Casino is a Category 3 facility wherein the casino operates at an established hotel resort.  Category 3 facilities may initially operate up to 50 gaming tables at any one time. The casino plans to open in the spring of 2012.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 with the passage of Act 71, also known as the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Pennsylvania's first new state agency in nearly 40 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry. The ten casinos in operation all offer both slot machine and table game gambling,  employ over 15,000 people, and collectively have generated $5.6 billion in tax and license fee revenue since the first casino opened in November 2006. A portion of that money is enabling property tax reduction for all Pennsylvania homeowners, providing needed funding to the Commonwealth's horse racing industry, funding grants for fire companies and water/sewer projects, and establishing a new stream of tax revenue to local governments for community projects. A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. At this website, visitors can view videos of Board meetings and on the operation of the PGCB, obtain information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information.

CONTACT: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey
(717) 346-8321

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board