Sometimes when people make plans in advance, nature has the last word and this was the case with the fifth mini-casino auction in Pennsylvania which was anticipated by many. Following a previous postponing at the beginning of March due to the bad weather conditions, now the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission made it clear that there will be a second postponing which is going to turn the month of April into one of the most important for both brick-and-mortar and online gambling in the state.
It could be recalled that originally the plan of the gambling regulator was to hold the meeting on the 7th of March, as so far the mini-casino auctions have been taking place every two weeks. However, the scheduled meeting was postponed to Friday after bad weather closed the Harrisburg Capitol Complex. A winter storm system was moving through the area and a state of emergency was in effect for 26 Pennsylvania counties in the southeastern part of the state. This is how the fifth auction was supposed to take place on the 9th.
Unfortunately, the auction did not go as expected for the second time, as there were no casino operators willing to participate in it and place their bids for the construction of a fifth satellite casino venue in the state. That Friday saw no contestants for the right to acquire gambling license for a new mini-casino facility and this prompted the gambling authority to reschedule the casino auction for the 21st, exactly two weeks after the original date of the fifth meeting.
Causes for Rescheduling
What actually happened yesterday was that a snowstorm interfered with the normal operation of the gambling authority and it was announced that due to the bad weather conditions once again the mini-casino auction was postponed for a later date. This time the meeting is going to take place on 4th April in the Gaming Control Board’s public hearing room in Harrisburg. This time the gambling operators which have the right to participate will be more as casino developers which have won in previous meetings are allowed to participate again.
The operators of Valley Forge Casino Resort and Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin, which are smaller gambling facilities in the state will also be allowed to place a bid. According to experts in the field, this is going to be a second chance for casino operator Sands Bethworks Gaming LLC to claim a mini-casino license for operation.
It could be recalled that at the end of February the developer placed a winning bid in the fourth auction, but the proposed location turned out being unfit for the construction of the new satellite casino, as it crossed over into Mount Airy’s protected territory. This area was previously chosen by Mount Airy to build a mini casino in Lawrence County during the third auction for mini-casino.
