Mini Casino Westmoreland County Pa
Sbarro, Chick-fil-A, Hot Topic … and a mini-casino.
- Mini Casino Westmoreland County Pa Clerk Of Courts
- Mini Casino Westmoreland County Pa
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(AP) – A company that’s building a casino in Philadelphia has won the right to put up a mini-casino across Pennsylvania in Westmoreland County in the second auction of licenses. (KDKA) — The countdown is on for the new mini-casino to open in Westmoreland County. Crews have been hard at work getting the new facility ready, and KDKA’s Ross Guidotti got a behind-the-scenes look at the final touches being made before opening day.
Believe it or not, this week Stadium Casino, a joint venture between Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment and The Cordish Companies, announced that their mini-casino will be located inside Westmoreland Mall, a 1.2 million-square-foot behemoth of a retail complex in Greensburg, PA.
According to a press release from Stadium, the company sees the opportunity as an exciting one for everyone involved. That includes CBL Properties, the company who owns the mall.
Casino Pittsburgh property at Westmoreland Mall in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The facility is set to swing its doors open at 6 am on Tuesday, November 24, subject to approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, The Cordish Companies said Monday.
“The property is ideally situated in the Region, with excellent infrastructure and road networks in place. The synergy of this new gaming and entertainment facility with the existing retail and dining amenities in the property and surrounding area will be tremendous,” Stadium partner Joe Weinberg said in the release.
Mini-casino will bring jobs, rejuvenation to Westmoreland County
Whether communities love them or hate them, casinos of any size bring jobs and buzz to the area in which they emerge.
State Senator Kim Ward is well aware of this. She offered up the following quote in the aforementioned press release:
“I’ve worked for nine years to expand gaming to allow ancillary casinos, so it’s gratifying to see this finally coming to fruition. This project will bring a sizeable increase in our tax base, a significant number of full-time jobs, and will help revitalize the Westmoreland Mall complex.”
The press release noted that the mini-casino should create 600 jobs and “millions in revenue.”It’s a welcomed spark considering the casino will be filling the space left by soon-to-be-closed department store Bon-Ton.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will have to review the property plans before a construction timeline can be set forth.
Community voices split on satellite benefits
An article from Pittsburgh’s WTAE shows that opinions from the community can be a bit fragmented.
Some love the idea of a casino. However, others would rather see something different take up the Bon-Ton space. Here are few quotes from Westmoreland County residents about the forthcoming satellite casino:
- “I think it’s a good thing for gamblers. I don’t know that it’s a good thing for the community.”
- “I think whenever something new comes, it can cause a little apprehension. But if you look statewide at how these casinos are doing, they’re not crime-ridden.” (Senator Ward)
- “I would love to see a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods go into a space like that, as opposed to a casino.”
These types of opinions are likely to surface as the state’s other four satellite casino license holders reveal the locations of their mini-casinos.
Five total satellites in the works
At the time of publishing, the following casinos have a satellite license:
- Parx (Cumberland County)
- Mount Airy (Lawrence County)
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National (Lancaster County, York County)
PGCB regulations state that these satellite properties can house a maximum of 750 slot machines and 30 table games. There will be a 50 percent tax on slots revenue that will go to the state.
Casinos will also pay an additional four percent on slots revenue. The local township and local county will split that revenue. The same 50-50 split applies to an additional two percent tax on table games.
Cue the drumroll: Pennsylvania’s first mini-casino has its closeup Tuesday, Nov. 24, with a full formal opening after a week of dress rehearsals with a limited audience.
The debut event of Live! Casino Pittsburgh also marks the brick-and-mortar entrance into the PA gaming market for The Cordish Companies of Baltimore.
Cordish is nationally known for the development of entertainment districts and venues. Cordish entered the crowded PA online casino market in August with the debut of PlayLive!
Doing so early meant introducing the Live! brand and a linked rewards card to the market, Rob Norton, leader of Cordish Gaming Group, told PlayPA Thursday during a phone interview.
Cordish also is nearing the opening of the full-sized Live! Casino Philadelphia in the Stadium District of South Philadelphia. An opening in early 2021 is projected. All of the PA Live! entities share the Live! rewards card, which is also used at Cordish’s Maryland property.
The COVID – 19 pandemic temporarily slowed work on both projects. But the delay is now over for Live! Pittsburgh.
Live! Pittsburgh mini-casino first mall-based casino in PA
The Western PA casino will also be the first repurposing of vacant mall space for gaming use in the Commonwealth, but not the last. Another mini-casino is set for the York area, in Morgantown, and perhaps there will be a fourth near State College to follow. A fifth remains in limbo.
The retail rehab is a first in PA for gaming, though card rooms in other jurisdictions, particularly Texas, have filled vacant retail space for some time.
Jack Cleveland Casino, downtown in the Ohio city, was a notable earlier mall conversion which opened in 2012.
And Virginia voters just approved a plan to renovate an entire moribund mall in the city of Bristol, which borders Tennessee. The Hard Rock Bristol Hotel and Casino could open in late 2022.
Cordish does not consider Live! Pittsburgh “mini”
Norton said the goal was to present a “full-sized experience” – experience being the foundation of Cordish developments for decades.
He pointed out that the Live! Pittsburgh property is “bigger than many casinos all over the country, especially in the Midwest.”
“We couldn’t be happier or more excited. The casino looks great and the experience is a game-changer.”
According to Norton, the property is more of redevelopment than conversion. And the property has worked to create a synergy with existing retailers. The second floor of the building connects to the mall and allows those under 21-years-old into the building while keeping the casino off-limits.
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The facility features Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar, the Sports & Social Steel City, and PBR, a country-themed bar and restaurant.
Health safety precautions paramount at Live!
Norton said the soft opening has allowed the facility to spread out the opening rush and allow VIPs to tour the casino without crowds.
As a unique safeguard, slot machines shut off when a player is finished until a Live! employee sanitizes the machine and reactivates it, added Norton.
The HVAC system turns over the air six times more often than required, said Norton, and they have many barriers set up.
Norton said leaders at the new casino have close contact with county health officials who are aware of the precautions Live! is taking. And the opening night celebration on Tuesday will take place with strict safety precautions.
Mini Casino Westmoreland County Pa
Cordish already conducted a soft opening to go with the Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 17. A split of gambling proceeds from the evening benefitted local charities, the Westmoreland County Foodbank and Sage’s Army. (Images provided by Live!/Cordish.)
Location and what to expect at Live! Pittsburgh
The Western PA Live! is a $150 million facility. The Cordish affiliate Stadium Casino Westmoreland RE, LLC developed the property.
There are more than 100,000 square feet of gaming, dining, and entertainment space, with 750 slots and approximately 30 table games. The suburban casino has more than 6,000 parking spaces. Sports bettors will be happy to find a FanDuel-branded retail sportsbook.
The property is the second Pittsburgh area casino, competing against Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. Officials in Alleghany County just issued a stay at home order, and work on a hotel affiliated with Rivers is stalled.
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In Philadelphia, the Live! Casino will also compete against the same company, Rivers Casino Philadelphia. New restrictions due to the virus’s re-emergence mean Rivers Philadelphia will close its doors until at least Jan. 1.
But there is so far no stay-home order in nearby Westmoreland County, home to Live! Pittsburgh.
Economic impact, new jobs east of Pittsburgh
The Live! project should generate more than $188 million in annual economic impact, plus an additional $148 million in economic impact from construction.
Annual taxes are likely about $47.5 million.
Live! should provide about 500 permanent new jobs. The company paid about $32 million in estimated new wages and salaries (direct and indirect) during construction.
Mini-casino concept did not quite pan out as planned
Western Live! is the first of what once was envisioned as many to be 10 such properties spaced out some distance from full-sized casinos.
But just five satellite licenses were successfully auctioned off by PA. In all, the PGCB collected $114 million in license fees.
Live! had hoped to buy a second mini-casino auction in September, but they were bested by a$10 million bid which should mean Philly investor Ira Lubert will develop a property, likely at a struggling mall outside State College, PA.