This week, residents of York and surrounding counties may opt for a shorter drive than ever to play casino games.
The rest of the money has been spent to renovate former Sears space on the first floor of the mall and fill it with slot machines, table games, dining outlets, and a sportsbook/OTB parlor. The result is the opening, planned for noon Thursday, of Hollywood Casino York, a $120 million investment at York Galleria Mall that includes the $50.1 million for PNG’s winning auction bid. The company subsequently withdrew its suit against the state, saying it had decided to focus on development of the two projects in York and Berks counties rather than fight a law it initially proclaimed would harm its main casino. How times have changed: Three days from now, PNG will open its first mini-casino - one in York County that it anticipates will complement rather than cannibalize its larger Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course 40 miles to the north.Ī lot has changed about Penn National’s position on mini-casinos since 2018, starting with two successful bids at Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board auctions early that year for the Category 4 venues, as they are officially known. Three years ago, Penn National Gaming filed a federal lawsuit trying to block Pennsylvania from creating the mini-casinos that were authorized in 2017 gaming expansion legislation.
