West Virginia state Senator Eric Nelson recently announced he will introduce a bill to allow the state’s commercial casinos to open smaller satellite gaming facilities.
Nelson said boutique gaming venues could help revitalize struggling shopping centers like the former Macy’s at the Charleston Town Center. The famed retailer occupied the anchor position there for 36 years before closing in 2019. Nelson said the vacant two-story building would be perfect for a satellite casino.
“Why not put out an option that would allow for a destination in downtown Charleston?” Nelson asked. “It would provide an opportunity to put something in the mall.” He plans a bill for the 2022 legislative session similar to oner that failed by one vote in the Senate Finance Committee.
If the bill passes, a statewide voter referendum would make the final call. The bill would allow casinos to only build a satellite location within their home counties. That means Mardi Gras Casino and Resort, owned and operated by Delaware North, would qualify to operate a casino at the vacant Macy’s at the Charleston Town Center, 10 miles away.
West Virginia is home to three other full-scale casinos: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Jefferson County, owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties; Mountaineer Casino in Hancock County, owned by VICI Properties and operated by Century Casinos; and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino in Ohio County, also owned and operated by Delaware North. The casino at the Greenbrier resort in Greenbrier County would not qualify for a satellite since it’s accessible only to resort guests and members.
Underused malls in neighboring Pennsylvania have added satellite casinos, approved by lawmakers in 2017. Five so-called mini-casinos were auctioned including Live! Casino Pittsburgh at a former Bon-Ton store in the Westmoreland Mall; Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino York, recently opened at a former Sears in the York Galleria Mall. Bally’s is planning another mini-casino at a former Macy’s at the Nittany Mall in State College.
