Pennsylvania Board Plans to Resume Hearing on Bluhm's Take Over of the North Shore Slots Casino

On August 8th, 2008, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that it will resume their hearing on the plan restructuring and financing and ownership interests in the Pittsburgh casino project. The hearing is a continuation of the hearing that began on July 9th, 2008 on a request by Don Barden to transfer majority of the control to the organization led by Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm.

The announcement comes as a statewide organization against to gaming casinos wants the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to hold off approval to any more slots licenses indefinitely or the transfer of slots licenses from one casino applicant to another applicant. The Casino Free Pennsylvania said in a statement said that the problems with the three slots casino facilities-Don Barden's and two others-only shows that there is a growing need for a moratorium. The group added that the attorney general and state police need to have a greater involvement regarding slots applicants.

In Lawrence County, the gaming board is considering giving a slots license to Centaur Incorporated from Indianapolis, which wants to construct the Valley View Downs racing track/casino in New Castle. Questions have been raised regarding the financing of the project. In the Poconos area, the gaming board has already suspended the slots license held by casino owner Louis DeNaples after DeNaples was charged by perjury.

The organization's coordinator, Dianne Berlin commented that events in Pennsylvania have shown that the Gaming Board, despite trying its best, is not competent enough to handle the complicated task of investigating slots license applicants.

Berlin wants Attorney General Tom Corbett and the Pennsylvania police to take a more active part in investigating the slots applicants because the Pennsylvania Gaming Board needs a lot of help on that part.

Thursday, 28 August 2008
Darren G. Strachan