Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

[garyjd]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

To say this is great news is an understatement. While it's nice to have something to celebrate, what does the future hold? Does the possiblility exsist for the state to issue more licenses in the future? if so, this could be just the first of one attempts to bring a casino to the area. I would think the next step would be to make it where we should never have to worry about such a thing ever again.~Gary

[billwatson]

Well - don't relax yet

It's not over.

The applicants who didn't get licenses have the ability to appeal. Looks like Trump will appeal, might be the fellow up in the Poconos might appeal, and haven't heard from the Gettysburg cartel.

Additionally, one of the licensees who did get a license, for Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos, is a convicted criminal and efforts are under way now in law enforcement circles to link him to present-day organized crime figures, one of whom is already banned from even setting foot in New Jersey casinos. So that license has to be considered kind of vulnerable if others file court appeals saying the process was tainted, rigged, nonsensical or corrupt. And if the courts rule that license shouldn't have been awarded, we're right back where we were.

Additionally -- I hate to be this way, but the need to understand how things really work in Pennsylvania is important -- all the venues that didn't get licenses are quite capable of lobbying (buying) legislators to expand the law so more places are entitled to licenses. That might not be next week -- but it could happen as early as next year. We know enough legislators have been lobbied (bought) to guarantee introduction of legislation expanding the gaming from just slots to full table games and roulette. Wouldn't be hard to tack on more locations to that legislation. The only thing working for you in that case is the existing licensees: They'll fight tooth and nail to keep any new venues from opening up because face it, there just aren't enough gaming dollars out there to keep 13 or 14 full-scale casinos operating in a run-down, clapped-out state like Pennsylvania.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying: Don't let this necessarily drop off the table just yet. Keep your eye on it and keep your eye on the little paper in Gettysburg, which does stay on top of this issue week to week. http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/

[ThehosGendar]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

"There are voices of hope that are borne on the air,
And our land will be freed from its clouds of despair,
For brave men and true men to battle have gone,
And good times, good times are now coming on.

cho: Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Sound the news from the din of battle booming,
Tell the people far and wide that better times are coming!"

Hurrah, indeed! Though of course, we should keep on our guard for any future foists, this is indeed good news.

[Dignann]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Bill is correct, in that Crossroads does have the option to appeal the decision. However, if they decide to do so, this time they will be the ones with an uphill battle. In the coming days, the gaming board is expected to release a document outlining how it made its choices.


Pa. gaming board awards 5 slots licenses in historic session

By MARC LEVY

Associated Press Writer
December 20, 2006

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Pennsylvania gambling regulators on Wednesday cleared the way for Philadelphia to become the nation's largest city with a casino, while rejecting Donald Trump's bid for a slot-machine parlor and plans for another near the historic Gettysburg battlefield.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board chose from among 13 groups of casino giants, politically connected investors, celebrities and nationally known developers when it awarded five licenses for standalone slots parlors.

Winners include groups led by billionaire Chicago-based developer Neil G. Bluhm and the Connecticut-based Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, each of which plan to build on Philadelphia's riverfront. Detroit-based casino developer Don H. Barden won the single license up for grabs in Pittsburgh, where he plans to build in the city's stadium district.

Northeastern Pennsylvania businessman Louis A. DeNaples won a license for the now-shuttered Mount Airy Lodge in the Pocono Mountains that he plans to reopen next year. And a group led by Las Vegas-based casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. won a license to build at the rusting flagship factory of the defunct Bethlehem Steel Corp.

"I think everybody, to a person, is going to be able to point to Bethlehem and the Bethworks project and say, 'That is indeed why we passed gaming in the state and that project alone justifies what was done,'" said Bethlehem Mayor John B. Callahan, who touted the proposed $600 million Sands Bethworks project as a way to revive a huge section of his debt-ridden city.

Barden, who beat out two other competitors for Pittsburgh's license, wiped away a tear after hearing the seven-member gaming board vote, one by one, to approve his application in front of a packed auditorium across the street from the Capitol.

All told, the board awarded 11 permanent slots licenses Wednesday, each allowing as many as 5,000 machines. The other six licenses were earmarked for the state's horse-racing tracks, which already received conditional licenses earlier this year. So far, two racetracks - Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Philadelphia Park - already have opened slots parlors, while racetracks in Chester and near Erie are expected to open slots parlors in the next two months.

The huge expansion into slot machines could make Pennsylvania one of the highest grossing commercial gambling states in the nation, if the state's projections for $3 billion in slots revenue comes true.

Gov. Ed Rendell rejuvenated a 25-year drive to legalize casino-style gambling in Pennsylvania by promising that slots revenue would help reduce property taxes and revive the state's declining horse-racing industry. The law passed in 2004 authorized up to 61,000 slot machines at 14 sites.

The gaming board would not discuss the reasons behind its choices, saying those would be made clear in a document to be issued in the coming days. The board's chairman, Tad Decker, said the members needed several hours Tuesday night to reach unanimous decisions after months of analyzing the projects.

In a conference call with reporters, Rendell said Decker told him that Barden, among other things, did the best job explaining his project and had the best traffic access to his site. Decker also said DeNaples had an edge because a competitor's much bigger proposal in the Poconos was out of character with the region, according to Rendell.

The board's decisions Wednesday helped two Indian tribes, the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots, open their first casinos that are not on tribal land in Connecticut, the first of what could be many for both tribes.

It also rewarded people with political connections, including DeNaples, a longtime political donor, and two Philadelphia groups that were stacked with politically connected investors.

For instance, Bluhm's group included former state Supreme Court Justice William Lamb and lawyer Richard Sprague, who represents one of the primary architects of the slots law, state Sen. Vincent J. Fumo of Philadelphia. The other Philadelphia winner, the group led by the Mashantucket Pequots, includes several longtime supporters of Rendell, including Philadelphia 76ers chairman Ed Snider, who have pledged their profits to charity.

On the losing side was a hotly contested proposal for a casino near the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg. The proposal, led by Connecticut-based Silver Point Capital LP, spurred vocal opposition from preservationists and others, who said gambling about a mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park would sully its sanctity and family friendly atmosphere.

They planned to celebrate Wednesday with a party at a Gettysburg tavern.

"Everybody who would like to celebrate our victory is invited," said casino opponent Jim Paddock.

The gaming board also rejected an application by Trump's Atlantic City, N.J.-based casino company to build in northwest Philadelphia. And it rejected a proposal by St. Louis-based casino operator Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to build next to Pittsburgh's aging Mellon Arena and pay for a new $290 million arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins without using taxpayer money.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PA_PENNSYLVANIA_SLOTS_PAOL-?SITE=PAGET&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Eric

[sepoy1857]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

What a relief! Thanks for the good news.

Scott Dallimore

[Dignann]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Weaver: Slots decision was fixed from start

By CAITLIN HEANEY

Hanover Evening Sun
December 21, 2006

Adams County Commissioner Tom Weaver will seek an investigation into the possibility "political meddling" played a role in the denial of a slots license for the Gettysburg area.

Weaver said he had learned from individuals on both sides of the casino argument about comments state Sen. Vincent Fumo made while visiting Gettysburg in June. Fumo allegedly noted that Ray Angeli, the Senate's Democratic appointee to the Gaming Control Board, would not vote in support of the proposal for Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa.

"When you put it in relationship to these comments that were made, it appears that there may have been some political maneuvering," Weaver said. "I don't know that for sure, but I think that there's enough activity, enough evidence here to at least look into it."

Weaver neither heard Fumo's comments directly nor questioned Fumo afterward. Weaver did not report what he had learned to the gaming control board, but said he trusts his sources.

Fumo spoke at Gettysburg's Lutheran Theological Seminary in June about the war in Iraq. Asked by an audience member about the possibility of a casino coming to the area, Fumo predicted Crossroads would not receive a license.

But Fumo said nothing about political meddling, said Christopher Craig, Fumo's legal counsel.

Although he could not say how soon he would be able to do so, Weaver plans to request that the attorney general or another appropriate agency investigate Fumo's remarks as well as whether Angeli should have recused himself from the process.

Slots and legalized gambling will only be successful if Pennsylvanians are convinced that the decision-making process for the slots licenses was free of political manipulation, Weaver said.

"Anything short of this will produce unhealthy skepticism and just downright cynicism that ultimately will doom gaming in Pennsylvania as a viable form of commerce and entertainment," Weaver said.

Weaver's plans do not reflect the opinion of the board of commissioners. Although the board has never expressed support or disapproval of the casino, Weaver is known for his support while Commissioner Lucy Lott has opposed the plans. Commissioner Glenn Snyder has said he supports free enterprise but not gambling.

Weaver addressed the history of the slots law, pointing out it was passed to reduce property taxes. A recent independent study showing Crossroads as a revenue leader among the state's proposed slots facilities calls into question Wednesday's decision to deny it a license, Weaver said.

Weaver did not say whether he thought Fumo had been involved in any sort of meddling in the licensing decisions. But he also brought up the gaming board's status as a "quasi-judicial" body that is supposed to remain independent.

"They sit basically, in some respect, as judges, and they should not be influenced or even approached by politicians, particularly politicians who appointed them to that position," he said.

Weaver said he erred in not reporting to the gaming control board or another authority his concerns about Fumo's alleged remarks, but does not know if it would have changed the outcome aside from the possible discussion about a recusal from Angeli.

"I was reassured in the process by the governor and others that this would be a process based upon merit, and I'm not sure that occurred," Weaver said.

http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_4879113

Eric

[milo1047]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Huzzah! Excellent news for the holidays.

[Pvt_Jack_Bauer]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

VERY interesting article...to go along with that and I apologize that this doesnt have anything to do in terms of historical ref. but in Pittsburgh the man who was suppose to buy the Penguins (hockey team) backed out a few days before the slots license were issued. Why is relevant you ask? The license he was suppose to get was going to help fund a new arena. So I am sure in terms of Gettysburg, hints were dropped in the political arena and people knew. But I dont think from our view we are complaining :) Again congratulations to all who helped in this massive effort and hopefully this will be a lesson/example to other big businesses who try to invade on our heritage!!!

[billwatson]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

I had to laugh at the Adams County fellow saying that if people think politics is involved, they won't trust the slots. D'oh. It's all politics, folks, and it has been from the start. It was "known" Louis DeNaples was going to get a license in the Poconos, despite a federal conviction, for at least the last four years. Your average North Carolina giant hog farm smells better than Pennsylvania politics. :-)

[Dignann]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

I just received word from Jim Campi of the CWPT that David LeVan, one of the chief proponents behind the Gettysburg casio, has announced that Crossroads will not appeal the Gaming Control Board's decision.

Eric

[AzTrooper]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Howdy all,
I was hoping that they wouldnt appeal the decision.The public sent a very clear message earlier this year and now with the Gaming board denying it, it was my sincerest hope that they wouldnt try anymore. I hate to say it but I always expect folks like this to never give up . All I can say is what just about everyone else has said since this decision, Thank you so much to everyone that worked so hard to oppose this and get the word out. I first signed the petition at Chris' store along with everyother petition that I saw in town,while I was living in Chambersburg. I have since moved back to Arizona :( but I have been fretting over this ever since then wishing I was still lived close enough to be able to make it to the meetings and to be able do more to help in person.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Sincerely,
John Rogers

[BarryDusel]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

This is great news. Anytime Fast Eddie and his minnions are defeated is good for Pennsylvania and humanity in general. However, just because LeVan says he isn't appealing doesn't mean it's over. Knowing Eddie and his cronies they still have something up as plan B. Also, don't discount that guy from the local government, whats his name, Weaver, the one with the bad hair cut and cheap suit. He stood to lose alot and obviously did. Somehow, I don't think this is over.
Anyway, congrats to the No Casino people and all who helped win this first battle in whats going to become a real war here in Pennsylvania.

[Dignann]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

LeVan says no appeal of slots decision

By MEG BERNHARDT

Hanover Evening Sun
December 22, 2006

The day after state gaming regulators voted to deny a license to a group of investors proposing a casino near Gettysburg, Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa CEO David LeVan said he planned not to appeal the state gaming board's decision.

LeVan and Fred Snyder, the host of The Breakfast Nook on WGET-1320 AM, chatted for a half-hour on the air Thursday. LeVan said an appeal would be a waste of "time, money and, quite frankly, energy" because the burden of proof would be too great.

"It's been a real long ride," LeVan said. "And, yeah, it was a difficult day (Wednesday), but I've had worse days and I'm sure as life moves on I'll probably have worse days again. So all things considered, it was not the day I was looking for, but one we'll just live with."

LeVan said the interview would be his only media comments on the issue.

Snyder invited LeVan onto the show a few days ago, and LeVan accepted, whether the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board granted a license to Crossroads or not.

He described LeVan as an honorable man who arrived promptly for the interview, even though the license was denied.

Now that the decision has been made, LeVan said, he plans on concentrating on enjoying life, including skiing more and preparing for the birth of his first grandchild in May.

But he said he believed in the casino project proposed near routes 30 and 15, especially in its economics and strong market it would have drawn from.

He called the board's decision to instead license Mount Airy in the Poconos a bad one.

LeVan said he was surprised the board gave a license to Mount Airy, a project led by Scranton businessman Louis DeNaples, who was convicted of fraud in 1978 and allegedly has ties to reputed Scranton-area mobster William "Big Billy" D'Elia.

LeVan also said he believed Crossroads' market, which would draw from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., would have been stronger than Mount Airy's. Crossroads' proposal has generated considerable controversy in Gettysburg, known for its Civil War battle, and has received nationwide attention.

Looking back, LeVan said, his biggest regret is the impact the process has had on his wife, Jennifer, because of personal attacks.

"There was no need to make this a personal attack and question my morality or sexuality or philanthropy, there was no need for it to be personal," LeVan said, referring to posts on opposition group No Casino Gettysburg's Internet message board.

When Snyder asked LeVan how far the project had set him back financially, LeVan replied it was significant.

"It's not going to change my lifestyle in any way," LeVan said. "It's money that otherwise I think Jennifer and I would have given to charity."

LeVan was formerly the CEO of Conrail Inc. in Philadelphia and now owns Battlefield Harley-Davidson in Gettysburg. He was a 12.75-percent investor in the project. Mailers sent to Adams County residents by Crossroads said investors spent millions on impact studies and other planning work.

LeVan did not mention any plans to leave the area and said he will continue his charitable giving.

The Majestic Theater was recently named after the LeVans because of money they gave to help restore it. But he said some of his giving could change.

"I suspect I will be influenced by some of the things that have happened," he said. "But it doesn't change the overall value and overall commitment to both the community, as well as the life of service."

LeVan said he's learned who his friends are from this experience and hopes to move on.

"Unfortunately, I think the real losers here are the real working men and women of Adams County and the taxpayers," LeVan said. "I think Adams County has, over the longer term, a very serious issue as it relates to becoming a bedroom and retirement community without a clear vision for economic development."

http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_4886120

Eric

[AzTrooper]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Howdy,
I just talked to a friend who works at a suttler in Gettysburg a few minutes ago and he said that he was told that the parcel of land that was to used for the casino has already been relisted and is now for sale.Hopefully this is the case and isnt a rumor.
Sincerely,
John Rogers

[TKlas]

Re: Board Denies Gettysburg Casino

Hi everyone,

This is great news. Something that I have been postponing for sometime is my CWPT membership. Well my Christmas gift to myself is becoming a new member. Check goes in the mail tomorrow and hopefully we can keep those threats of further develpment at bay in Gettysburg.

Merry Christmas

Tom