As the December 31 “opt-out” deadline passed for Pennsylvania municipalities to ban satellite or mini-casinos in their jurisdictions, the total tally of jurisdictions opting out stood at 936.
The gaming law signed in November by Governor Tom Wolfe authorized up to 10 Category 4 satellite casinos, which are gaming halls limited to 750 slot machines and 30 table games. The facilities are limited to areas outside of a 25-mile radius of any existing casino, which in itself is controversial to operators like Penn National Gaming, which has hinted it may sue to block the provision, since most of the customers of its flagship Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course outside of Harrisburg come from beyond 25 miles.
The law included a provision allowing municipalities (except for counties) to pass resolutions to “opt out” of mini-casinos, and submit the result to the state. The 936 boroughs and townships that did so now officially ban the satellite facilities within their borders. The total amounts to nearly 37 percent of Pennsylvania’s 2,560 municipalities.
The mini-casino ban was enacted by all 60 municipalities within Lancaster County, with its Pennsylvania Dutch Amish tradition; and municipalities such as Gettysburg in Adams County, which has long fought the idea of a casino near its historic battlefield. Many opt-out municipalities also were in metropolitan areas of the state’s two largest cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, each home to multiple casinos.
The mini-casino licenses will be bid out beginning January 10, with current casino licensees getting first crack at the chance to operate a satellite casino. The minimum bid for a license is $7.5 million.
