Penn National resumes construction of Hollywood Casino in Pennsylvania

Construction has resumed at Penn National's mini-casino in Springettsbury Township, Pennsylvania. Officials said they expect the property to open by mid-2021.

The $120 million project, which temporarily halted construction in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed a few weeks ago, according to Jeff Morris, a spokesperson for Penn National, as reported by York Dispatch. "Construction is resuming and we expect to open the facility in the second half of 2021," he told that news outlet. 

Hollywood Casino at the York Galleria was originally estimated to be completed in 12 months when it was unanimously approved for a gambling license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last December. But then the pandemic halted the construction in March. Roadwork at the former Sears story in the York Galleria mall resumed in July.

That work, which entailed repairing the road and entrance onto Whiteford Road, is now finished, according to Don Bishop, a Springettsbury Township supervisor and liaison to the community development department. "We had a great deal of confidence in Penn National Gaming throughout the pandemic," Bishop told York Dispatch. "They were in a really tough spot but they continue to keep us up to date. We are very pleased that they are continuing with the project."

Hollywood Casino at the York Galleria was the third Category 4 license approved by the state after a 2017 expansion in Pennsylvania gambling laws allowing for up to 10 permits for these "satellite" casinos. Penn National selected the York Galleria as the site of its first mini-casino in September 2018. The company bid the highest — $50 million — to place a casino in York County. In August 2019, the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a conditional use application for construction of the casino.