Greenwood Gaming has applied to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for a license to open a Category 4 mini-casino near Shippensburg, tied to its primary casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
The proposed site lies in Shippensburg Township, just east of the Franklin County line. It is home to Shippensburg University.
According to a report on the PennLive.com website, the casino is targeting a 2020 opening if it wins the license.
“The applicant has some control of the site, but it must also obtain all required permits locally to satisfy the board and gain the award,” Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach told PennLive.
“The board will also look at the same issues as with any casino licensing including… whether the applicant is likely to maintain a financially successful, viable and efficient business operation in that location, and is likely able to maintain a steady level of revenue growth. Certainly, there could special conditions attached to the license as well.”
“We are happy about the site,” Greenwood Chief Marketing Officer Marc Oppenheimer told PennLive. “We’re looking forward to building there and running a great business there.”
Oppenheimer said initial plans call for 475 slot machines and 40 table game betting positions in a casino that, once open, will be within 25 miles of 300,000 residents. The casino would be visible with easy access from Interstate 81.
Steve Oldt, chairman of the Shippensburg Township board of supervisors, told the news site that local officials are “excited” about the project, which he noted will provide significant revenue that currently does not exist with a large tract of land on which the university sits off the tax rolls.
“We’ve been waiting for it to happen, and we’re looking forward to working with (Greenwood) and trying to make it as pleasant and painless as we can, Oldt told PennLive.
