Construction is expected to begin soon on a new mini casino at Westmoreland Mall, with a predicted opening date of mid-to-late summer 2020, according to Doug Harbach, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Slated for the former Bon-Ton store at the Hempfield shopping mall, Live! Casino Pittsburgh will feature 750 slot machines and 30 table games. State gaming officials last month granted Stadium Casino LLC — owned by the Maryland-based Cordish Companies — a Category 4 satellite casino license for which they paid more than $40 million in July 2018.
Shortly after the license was granted, Hempfield officials received hundreds of pages of building permit documents and technical plans that are being reviewed by a third party, said Patrick Karnash, township planning coordinator. Once approved, construction can begin.
Cordish plans to hold an official groundbreaking, though a date has not been scheduled, said Carmen Gonzales, director of communications for Live! Casino & Hotel. Mall officials started demolition inside the former department store space in April.
Detailed plans for the casino show table games lining the center of the first floor from the main entrance to the mall access. Slot machines fill the remaining space. A bar is located to the left, the plans show, with a high-limit betting area on the right.
The second floor has space for a banquet hall, restaurant, sports bar and nightlife. Three main bars are located across the floor, with room for a bowling alley and golf space in the sports area. The nightlife spot shows VIP tables, a saloon bar, a mechanical bull pit and a dance floor. Extra space on the second floor is marked “Future event” on the plans.
Renderings presented last year show Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint as one of the restaurant options, although specific details were not included in building plans.
The Westmoreland project is expected to generate $188 million in annual revenue for the county, with an additional $148 million from construction, which is predicted to bring 960 direct and indirect construction jobs.
