Is Derry Township getting a mini-casino? Or, are the partners building a new casino in South Philadelphia’s sports stadium district going to put a mini-casino in an area at near Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township instead?
Apparently, we will know by Friday.
Stadium Casino is co-owned by Cordish Companies and Parx Casino owners Greenwood Racing planning to open a second Philadelphia casino in 2020.
In January, gaming regulators accepted its $40,100,005 bid to build a satellite casino in a 15-mile radius around Derry Township in Westmoreland County.
However, the company has been tight-lipped about its plans ever since.
No word in Westmoreland
In fact, ahead of the July 27 deadline to submit its final mini-casino plans to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Westmoreland County planning director Jason Rigone told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the county is still in the dark:
“We’ve had no discussions with anyone. We would have hoped they would have reached out to us but they don’t have to if they don’t need us.”
Officials in Derry Township have been lobbying Stadium Casino from the word go, hoping it will choose to locate the mini-casino there.
Apparently, they even presented the development group with a 47-page Derry Township mini-casino proposal. However, Derry Township Supervisor Dave Slifka says they haven’t heard a word either:
“I think we would have heard something if they were going to put it in here. We had a couple of good places out there on Route 22 with all the infrastructure they needed.”
Westmoreland Mall still a maybe
Rumor has it Stadium Casino officials have been eyeing an area at near Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township. However, Hempfield Township Supervisor Rob Ritson told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review no one from the company has contacted them.
Stadium Casino officials did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment this week.
In the meantime, three of the other four casino operators who won mini-casino bids have been granted extensions for submitting their final plans.
Penn National Gaming now has until Sept. 12 to submit plans for its first mini-casino. The company’s second mini-casino plans aren’t due until the beginning of October.
Parx had its deadline extended until Oct. 23 and Mount Airy Casino Resort has until Oct. 12. This means the Stadium Casino mini-casino plans will be the first of their kind submitted to regulators.
Stadium Casino has other plans
While very little is known about the company’s mini-casino, its other plans are more public.
The $600 million Stadium Casino is going up on the former Packer Avenue Holiday Inn property in Philadelphia’s sports stadium district.
It will include a 200-plus room hotel, casino, various restaurants, nightlife venues and a parking garage.
Plans for the casino include 2,000 slots and 125 table games. Stadium Casino will open in 2020.
Plus, last week, the company applied for an online gambling license as well.
