Pennsylvania approves first mini casino; Westmoreland Mall site still on track

State gaming officials this week approved the first license for a mini casino to operate in Pennsylvania. A vote is expected in the coming months to finalize plans for a proposed facility at Westmoreland Mall.

“It will be coming up over the next two, three or four months. It’s on track,” said Richard McGarvey, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

On Wednesday, board members signed off on the Hollywood Casino project in Berks County. The 89,500-square-foot facility, near the Morgantown exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is permitted to operate between 300 to 750 slot machines and could open in late 2020.

The project is the one of five mini casinos expected to operate in the state and was the last of five licenses auctioned off by the gaming board last year. Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, which owns Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, paid $7.5 million for the mini casino license.

Stadium Casino LLC, owned by the Maryland-based Cordish Companies, paid more than $40 million for a license to operate a mini casino at the former Bon-Ton department store at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield.

Township officials in April said demolition of the vacant anchor store at the mall had started.

Company officials at a public hearing last year in Hempfield announced the $131 million casino will operate in a 100,000-square-foot space at the mall and feature 750 slot machines and up to 30 table games.

Cordish officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The Westmoreland project is expected to generate $152 million in annual economic impact for the county once the casino begins operation, possibly by the end of this year, company officials have said.

According to plans presented at last year’s public hearing, the casino will be on the first floor of the two-story former store building, with dining and entertainment options on the second level. The casino will have its own security team and secure entrances into the mall from both levels.

McGarvey said the gaming board’s next meeting is scheduled for July 10 in Harrisburg. The agenda for that session has not been announced.

While local permitting and other regulatory requirements remain, McGarvey said gaming board license approval is one of the final hurdles before the casino can open.

“From a board standpoint, once the license is approved they would be ready to go,” McGarvey said.