The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced on Wednesday that it will hold an auction for the right to apply for a Category 4 casino license. The state is planning to award licenses for five more mini-casinos as part of a gambling expansion authorized in 2017 by the state government.
The first auction in this round is scheduled for September 4, 2019 at the PGCB's Public Hearing Room. All current holders of a Category 1, 2 or 3 casino license in Pennsylvania are eligible to participate. The Board will stream the auctions live via its web site.
Under the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017, the Gaming Control Board was authorized to award up to 10 Category 4 (satellite) slot machine operator licenses through an auction process which was conducted from January to April 2018, resulting in five successful auctions garnering $127 million in bids to secure the right to obtain a Category 4 license. The winners and their bid price are as follows:
The first five auctions raised $127 million, and the first mini-casino is expected to open next year.
Gaming Control Board To Hold Category 4 Satellite Casino Auction On September 4th https://t.co/oPFAXkrX39
— PGCB (@PAGamingControl) 10 de julio de 2019
The Gaming Expansion Act 42 of 2017 established a minimum bid price of $7.5 million for Category 4 slot machine licenses. A separate certificate for table games can then be obtained through Board approval for a fee of $2.5 million. A Category 4 facility may have between 300 and 750 slot machines along with a maximum of 30 table games at opening with the capability of adding an additional 10 table games after its first year of operation.