The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (Board) unanimously voted to renew the Category 2 stand-alone casino license of Wind Creek Bethlehem LLC, operator of Wind Creek Bethlehem casino in Northampton County.

In making the decision, the Board determined that Wind Creek Bethlehem LLC had fulfilled the obligations under its previously approved casino operator’s license and therefore qualified to have its license renewed for an additional five-year period.

The decision to renew the license was based on a process utilized by the Board that enables both the operator and the public to provide information relevant to the renewal decision. A public input hearing was held in July 2024 in the casino’s host municipality, the City of Bethlehem, where personnel of Wind Creek Bethlehem submitted exhibits and presented testimony on various aspects of the facility’s operation since its last license renewal was granted. The public was also permitted to provide testimony about the casino and its impact in the community.

In reaching its decision, the Board also received information from local government officials, community groups and the PA State Police, along with the Gaming Control Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel, Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, Office of Compulsive and Problem Gaming, and Bureau of Casino Compliance.

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Additionally, a public hearing was held in Harrisburg to permit Board members to further question Wind Creek Bethlehem LLC representatives about any remaining issues prior to voting on the renewal.

Since its opening in May 2009 through September 2024, Wind Creek Bethlehem has generated over $7 billion in revenue from the play of retail slot machines and table games, sports wagering and iGaming, and has returned to the Commonwealth a total of $2.9 billion from tax revenue, assessments and fees. Wind Creek Bethlehem currently operates 2318 slot machines, 202 table games and a 20-table poker room while providing employment to 2242 persons directly or through third-party tenants in the events center, food and beverage outlets or retail stores. 94% of those employees are Pennsylvania residents.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (“PGCB”) has released the 18^th edition of its Annual Report.

The PGCB’s 2023-2024 Annual Report provides detail on the work of the agency in regulating the Commonwealth’s gaming industry, and also includes:

• individual revenue figures during another record-setting fiscal year for slot machines, table games, sports wagering, internet gaming, fantasy sports contests and video gaming terminals at eligible truck stops;
• a year in review report with pertinent statistical figures from the PGCB’s key bureaus;
• information on the PGCB’s efforts to stop adults from gambling while leaving minors unattended; and,
• a section on problem gambling and the PGCB’s Self-Exclusion Program.

The PGCB was established in 2004 through the passage of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act. Since then, it has become one of the pre-eminent gaming regulators in the world overseeing all aspects of gambling in the Commonwealth. Currently, the number of outlets for the various types of gaming regulated by the PGCB are:

• 17 land-based casinos;
• 18 retail sports wagering locations;
• 12 online sports wagering sites;
• 22 sites for online casino-type games (slot machines, table games, poker);
• 74 truck stop establishments with Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs); and,
• 9 online fantasy sports contest sites.

In addition to supporting nearly 16,000 jobs at casinos, overall gaming revenue reached a record high during the fiscal year generating $5.89 billion and resulting in $2.54 billion in tax revenue.

The 2023-2024 Annual Report can be downloaded as a PDF document by choosing Organization Reports under the About PGCB tab on the agency’s website.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) will hold a hearing on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 to take public comment on the renewal of the Category 1 Slot Machine Operator License for Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association LLC, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County. The hearing will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be held at the East Hanover Township Building, 8848 Jonestown Road, Grantville, PA 17028.

Citizens, public officials, and community groups can choose to speak or submit written testimony. The hearing is open to the public.

Individuals who wish to provide in-person or written testimony should visit the Board’s website, gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, and choose the special link on the homepage in the “PGCB Meetings” section for more information and registration. Persons wishing to provide comments will need to register ahead of time. The deadline for registration to speak or submit written testimony is noon on Monday, August 26.

A listing of all government officials, community groups, and individuals who have registered to speak at this hearing will be posted on the Board’s website beginning the week prior to the hearing and updated daily.

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Written comments can be submitted directly through the Board’s website.

Pursuant to Section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses are subject to periodic renewal. The renewal application must include an update of the information since its last renewal.

To implement the renewal requirement, the Board utilizes a two-step process:

First, a public input hearing is held in the municipality where the casino operates before the Director of the Board’s Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record which the Board will use in its licensing decision. The hearing record, along with a report from the Director of Hearings and Appeals, will be transmitted to the Board.

The second step is to hold a separate public hearing in Harrisburg at a later date where representatives of the casino licensee will offer evidence and oral arguments. At that time, the Board members can ask additional questions.

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The burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of a gaming license. During the hearing, the renewal applicant will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; as well as provide evidence on tax revenue generated; jobs created; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding communities.

Following this proceeding, the Board will ultimately determine whether the licensee remains eligible and suitable consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth, and is otherwise qualified to have the license renewed for a five-year period.