Permanent License Given to Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack

Now that the slot players and racing customers will have a more harmonious setting, the track appears to have bright skies on the horizon.

Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack had its much-anticipated meeting with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Tuesday, and was awarded a permanent license for its casino. 

Key to the removal of the "temporary" label on the license was the presentation of plans to build a new, separate building  to house the casino's slot machines by Greenwood Racing, owner of the complex.

Horse aficianados had complained that the temporary location of slot machines in the track's grandstands had made race fans feel put aside; currently racing bets can only be placed on the top, fifth floor of the grandstand, as the slots take up the bottom two floors. The plan revealed Tuesday specified a 250,000 square foot casino, holding 4000 slot machines, as well as restaurants and bars. The opening is projected for November 2009.

Mary DiGiacomo Collins, chairman of the Gaming Board, addressed the concerns of horsemen, stating, "The plans ... show that Philadelphia Park will use numerous cross promotion initiatives to assure that the slots and horse racing facilities operate in the type of integrated manner envisioned under the Gaming Act."  Worries that the tail might be wagging the dog should fade now.

The plan was met with approval by the Pensylvania Horse Racing Commission, Bensalem Township, the Bensalem Citizen's Advisory Group, and the state Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

The casino generated more than $30 million for purses and breeding programs at the Park. Now that the slot players and racing customers will have a more harmonious setting, the track appears to have bright skies on the horizon.