Caernarvon Township residents sign petitions to voice their opinion on whether the area should host a mini-casino ahead of PGCB hearing
The debate over whether Caernarvon Township in Pennsylvania should host a mini-casino has heated up ahead of the upcoming public hearing on the matter. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is set to host the hearing on Monday, March 4, at the Caernarvon Township Building.
The event will give interested parties the opportunity to voice their opinion on the issue and will help the state gaming regulator decide whether it should give the green light to the mini-casino project.
Casino and racetrack operator Penn National Gaming applied for a license for the development of a mini-casino in Caernarvon Township last October. The company currently owns Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania, and is looking to extend its footprint across its home state.
Penn National Gaming is pitching a plan for the development of a $110 million mini-casino near the intersections of I-176, Route 10, and Pennsylvania Turnpike. The company is seeking a Category 4 casino license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The state’s gambling regulator is slated to issue a handful of those as part of a statewide gambling expansion effort approved by lawmakers in the fall of 2017, along with sports betting and online gambling.
The casino and racetrack owner has promised to create multiple new jobs for residents of the Caernarvon Township area and to share a portion of the facility’s revenue. However, the mini-casino plan has amassed a number of opponents due to the nature of services it will provide, if it wins the necessary approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Petitions For and Against the Gaming Facility Circulate the Region
Local news station WFMZ-TV reports that the casino plan has equally vocal camps of supporters and opponents. More than 350 people have expressed concerns that the development of a gambling facility in Caernarvon would be bad for the township and the surrounding area.
Speaking to local media, Michelle King, one of the 350 opponents of the casino scheme, has said that the venue is inconsistent with the host community’s beliefs. She has further pointed out that people are concerned about the safety of their children. Ms. King and the rest of the opponents of the mini-casino have signed a petition to voice their discontent with the proposal for locating the facility in their community.
According to Ms. King, the development of a gaming venue in Caernarvon Township will be a gamble for both residents of the area and Penn National Gaming. She has noted that she does not believe the demographic of the area “is going to be right” for the gambling operator.
A separate petition, this one supporting the plan, has also been circulating the area ahead of Monday’s public hearing. It has been signed by 130 locals who believe the region will benefit from the mini-casino.
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