HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today voted unanimously to approve licenses for two companies that filed applications to be suppliers of slot machines and associated equipment in the Commonwealth.

All licenses are subject to a series of conditions set by the Board to ensure that the requirements of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, and Board rules and regulations are met.

"Approving these licenses is another major step forward for gaming in Pennsylvania," said Tad Decker, chairman of the Board.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold its Sept. 11, 2006, Licensing Hearings on four applications for conditional Category 1 gaming operator licenses in the Auditorium of the State Museum in Harrisburg, Executive Director Anne Neeb said today.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced changes in the lineup of Licensing Hearings for the Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, hearings for conditional Category 1 licenses.The hearing schedule will include the same four applicants, but the order of format is will be as follows:

    • 9 - 11 a.m. - Downs Racing, L.P.
    • 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. - Chester Downs and Marina, LLC
    • 2 - 4 p.m. - Presque Isle Downs, Inc.
    • 4 - 6 p.m. - Washington Trotting Association, Inc.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today published on its Web site some 1,200 written comments submitted to the Board as part of its public-input hearing process. To view the comments, visit www.pgcb.state.pa.us, click on the information box “Public Input Hearings, Local Impact Reports, and Diversity Plans” and choose “Written Comments”.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced that it has rescheduled the Licensing Hearing for conditional Category 1 gaming licensing applicant Presque Isle Downs Inc. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27, 2006. The hearing will take place in the Auditorium of the Forum Building, Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street, Harrisburg, Pa.

The Gaming Control Board and the applicant previously agreed to postpone the Licensing Hearing originally scheduled for Sept. 11, 2006.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today posted on its web site revenue projections for all six of the Category 1 applicants from a report of the Financial Suitability Task Force. To view the report, visit www.pgcb.state.pa.us, click on the information box “Public Input Hearings, Local Impact Reports, and Diversity Plans” and choose “Financial Suitability Task Force Estimates”.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today unanimously approved five applications for slot-machine gaming operator licenses, the first such licenses awarded under the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act of 2004.

The five licenses are all associated with horse-racing tracks that are operating or are under construction across the Commonwealth. Three of the entities approved today have indicated that they expect to begin gaming operations sometime between October 2006 and January 2007.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced changes to its schedule of Licensing Hearings for Category 2 operator applicants.

Executive Director Anne Neeb said the schedule remains largely the same, with the exception that the Category 2 At-Large hearings have been moved from November 6-7 to December 4-5. She noted that the new hearing schedule assists the public and media by avoiding the busy November 7th Election Day, but without altering the Board’s overall timetable for awarding licenses by the end of the year.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today announced that it will make available for review public files for Category 3 operator license applicants beginning on Thursday, October 19, 2006.

The files will be available at the Board’s Harrisburg offices on the 5th floor of the Verizon Tower in Strawberry Square on Walnut Street during normal PGCB business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through Tuesday, October 24th.

HARRISBURG: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today published on its Web site (www.pgcb.state.pa.us) an application and instructions for people with gambling problems to have themselves barred from Pennsylvania gaming facilities. This practice, known as “self-exclusion,” is used successfully by gaming regulators in jurisdictions throughout the U.S. to prevent and treat compulsive gambling.