Hollywood Casino York Gets Approval from Local Supervisors

Another of Pennsylvania’s mini-casinos has been approved by host community officials, a move that further extends the reach of the state’s gambling expansion plans. Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino York is set to go live in the Springettsbury Township whose supervisors voted overwhelmingly in favor of the satellite casino project.

Penn National Gaming bid for the license to build the mini-casino at a space that was previously occupied by a Sears department store at the York Galleria Mall just off Route 30. The casino operator chose that specific location because of its very strategic position – since it is located near the southern border, it is expected to be the go-to gambling and entertainment destination for customers in the nearby townships as well as those from the neighboring Maryland. For the York Country mini-casino license, Penn National Gaming spent a whopping $50.1 million.

What the Property Will Entail

During the Thursday Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) where the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors overwhelmingly approved the establishment of the mini-casino, they gave Penn National the go-ahead to make some significant changes. The approval authorized the addition of casino signage, landscaping as well as some changes to the parking at York Galleria Mall. The approval further allowed for the addition of a 3,000-square-foot building which will contain a stairwell and elevator to the actual Penn National satellite casino.

Still, the mini-casino will be designed in accordance with expanded gambling laws that took effect on October 2017. This law states that the existing land-based casino licenses are allowed to bid for one of 10 Category 4 satellite casino licenses. These mini-casinos are required to have 300 to 7000 slot machines and up to 30 tables games.

Now that Penn National has been approved by the township’s officials, it has just one more hurdle to clear before it proceeds with the construction. This remaining hurdle is the approval of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board – this should not be much of a problem considering the casino operator’s stellar reputation in the state.

Already, Penn National Gaming has received the green light to launch other mini-casino projects. In June, it was given the go-ahead to put up a mini-casino in Caernarvon Township in Berks County. Known as Hollywood Casino Morgantown, the Category 4 satellite casino was the very first one to be licensed by the gaming control board. This is one of the things that prove that the gambling operator is capable of handling the pressure that may come with running a mini-casino in York County.