City's slots advisory board enters new world
Panel to find consults to make gambling work for Pittsburgh
Friday, April 22, 2005
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Like an inexperienced recruit joining savvy sailors at a craps game
for the first time, a new task force intending to influence
Pittsburgh's legalized gambling had a lot of questions yesterday that
defied easy explanation:
How much revenue is likely to be earned by whomever wins the license
to operate up to 5,000 slot machines?
Will it be a facility dependent on local players or designed as a
destination center for out-of-towners?
What is the best criteria for the city to use in determining its
preferred gaming site and developer?
Those were but a few of the issues pondered by volunteer members of
the Pittsburgh Citizens Gaming Advisory Panel at its initial meeting
yesterday. Members agreed their role is not to challenge the merits
of legalized gambling, but to make it work in the best way possible
for the city.
Before going to their day jobs, they met over bagels and coffee in
the conference room of Mayor Tom Murphy, who appointed them to the
panel three weeks ago from a cross-section of business, labor,
political and community groups.
No one -- the mayor included -- tried to bluff his way through the
meeting by posturing as an expert on gambling, a major American
growth industry expected to make its way to Pittsburgh no sooner than
2007 as a result of last year's state legislation.
"To me, the big issue is -- I don't understand this issue," said Mark
Schneider, a local developer who is president of the Rubinoff Co.
Others around him nodded or murmured in concurrence, and promptly
designated Schneider to find gaming consultants who can advise the
panel on industry trends and how Pittsburgh fits into the national
picture.
Any company that operates a slots parlor in the city will probably
invest at least $150 million in construction and equipment on top of
the $50 million required by the state for a license, Murphy said.
The lame-duck mayor's primary charge to the group, which has no
guaranteed authority, is to influence both the potential operators of
Pittsburgh's future slots parlor and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board. That state board, made up of gubernatorial and state
legislative appointees, is expected to determine next year which
applicant will win the license and where the facility will be
located.
Running down the site possibilities for the one slots parlor to be
licensed within Pittsburgh city limits -- out of 14 statewide --
members noted that the mix now includes Strip District property
adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
That parcel, east of 11th Street and bounded by the Allegheny River
and Smallman Street, is owned by the Buncher Co. and is used for
parking. Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming is said to be reviewing it
as a site option.
Other potential sites include Station Square, the area around Mellon
Arena and two separate North Shore parcels near the stadiums and
Carnegie Science Center.
Highlighting just how speculative the process is, MTR Gaming has been
identified previously as a potential partner of the Pittsburgh
Penguins in developing a slots parlor near Mellon Arena, with part of
the proceeds to be used to build a new sports facility for the hockey
team.
MTR Gaming consultant John Brabender, who did not attend the panel's
meeting, said later that the owner of Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming
Resort is open to multiple partners and multiple sites in wanting to
invest in Pittsburgh.
Because MTR will hold a slots license at a new racetrack it is
developing in Erie, it is limited by law to holding no more than one-
third ownership in any license awarded in Pittsburgh.
The West Virginia gambling firm has not closed the door on working
with Penguins' owner Mario Lemieux, "but Mountaineer's interest in
going after a gaming facility is not limited to the Pittsburgh
Penguins," Brabender said. "It's premature to say there are specific
partners or locations or anything else."
Representatives of the Penguins and Buncher Co. did not return calls
yesterday.
Becky Rodgers, executive director of the Neighbors in the Strip
community group, said when contacted after the meeting that there's
been no public discussion of the already-bustling area as a casino
site, and neighborhood reactions would probably be mixed.
"Location-wise, it would probably be very good near the convention
center and on the river near Downtown," she said. "On the negative,
it would change the Strip from the 24-hour open market image that it
has. It's hard to comment because we don't really know the
specifics."
City Councilman Sala Udin, whose district encompasses the Buncher
property and other sites under consideration, said, "They all have
their strong points and less-than-strong points.
"What we ought to be concerned about is the criteria for awarding the
license and not so much who's our favorite applicant by name," added
Udin, also a member of the mayor's panel. "We ought to look at what
the community benefit is, what their site and design proposals look
like, how they're going to market this thing."
Aside from obtaining consulting expertise, committee members
discussed other ways to use $50,000 in initial funding tentatively
approved by the Heinz Endowments. Those include hiring a staff person
to manage organizational details and conduct fact-finding trips to
casinos elsewhere.
The panel took initial steps to form committees focused on the
project's economic impact, social impact and siting/design issues.
Members also discussed the need to adopt an ethics statement to guide
them in dealing with representatives of various gambling industry
interests.
Murphy, who led the discussion yesterday but expects to have a lesser
role in subsequent meetings, said committee members should assume
they're planning for a larger impact than from a slots parlor alone,
based on gambling expansion trends.
"I'm guessing, in three to five years, it's a full-blown casino," the
mayor predicted.
make gambling work for PittsburghXVP
I grew up in Pittsburgh and venture back every year. I'm anxiously
awaiting both the Pittsburgh casino and the racino down towards
Washington, PA. Imagine a dozen or so Foxwoods in one state. With 5000
machines one would hope there would be a little good VP. Sorry to hear
that it will be 2007 before it opens. I think the racino
(Meadowlands) may offer slots earlier. Any additonal news would be
appreciated.
George in SF
···
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "westwind281wagb" <jacks1eyed@n...> wrote:
City's slots advisory board enters new world
Panel to find consults to make gambling work for Pittsburgh
Friday, April 22, 2005
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Like an inexperienced recruit joining savvy sailors at a craps game
for the first time, a new task force intending to influence
Pittsburgh's legalized gambling had a lot of questions yesterday that
defied easy explanation:
How much revenue is likely to be earned by whomever wins the license
to operate up to 5,000 slot machines?
Will it be a facility dependent on local players or designed as a
destination center for out-of-towners?
What is the best criteria for the city to use in determining its
preferred gaming site and developer?
Those were but a few of the issues pondered by volunteer members of
the Pittsburgh Citizens Gaming Advisory Panel at its initial meeting
yesterday. Members agreed their role is not to challenge the merits
of legalized gambling, but to make it work in the best way possible
for the city.
Before going to their day jobs, they met over bagels and coffee in
the conference room of Mayor Tom Murphy, who appointed them to the
panel three weeks ago from a cross-section of business, labor,
political and community groups.
No one -- the mayor included -- tried to bluff his way through the
meeting by posturing as an expert on gambling, a major American
growth industry expected to make its way to Pittsburgh no sooner than
2007 as a result of last year's state legislation.
"To me, the big issue is -- I don't understand this issue," said Mark
Schneider, a local developer who is president of the Rubinoff Co.
Others around him nodded or murmured in concurrence, and promptly
designated Schneider to find gaming consultants who can advise the
panel on industry trends and how Pittsburgh fits into the national
picture.
Any company that operates a slots parlor in the city will probably
invest at least $150 million in construction and equipment on top of
the $50 million required by the state for a license, Murphy said.
The lame-duck mayor's primary charge to the group, which has no
guaranteed authority, is to influence both the potential operators of
Pittsburgh's future slots parlor and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control
Board. That state board, made up of gubernatorial and state
legislative appointees, is expected to determine next year which
applicant will win the license and where the facility will be
located.
Running down the site possibilities for the one slots parlor to be
licensed within Pittsburgh city limits -- out of 14 statewide --
members noted that the mix now includes Strip District property
adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
That parcel, east of 11th Street and bounded by the Allegheny River
and Smallman Street, is owned by the Buncher Co. and is used for
parking. Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming is said to be reviewing it
as a site option.
Other potential sites include Station Square, the area around Mellon
Arena and two separate North Shore parcels near the stadiums and
Carnegie Science Center.
Highlighting just how speculative the process is, MTR Gaming has been
identified previously as a potential partner of the Pittsburgh
Penguins in developing a slots parlor near Mellon Arena, with part of
the proceeds to be used to build a new sports facility for the hockey
team.
MTR Gaming consultant John Brabender, who did not attend the panel's
meeting, said later that the owner of Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming
Resort is open to multiple partners and multiple sites in wanting to
invest in Pittsburgh.
Because MTR will hold a slots license at a new racetrack it is
developing in Erie, it is limited by law to holding no more than one-
third ownership in any license awarded in Pittsburgh.
The West Virginia gambling firm has not closed the door on working
with Penguins' owner Mario Lemieux, "but Mountaineer's interest in
going after a gaming facility is not limited to the Pittsburgh
Penguins," Brabender said. "It's premature to say there are specific
partners or locations or anything else."
Representatives of the Penguins and Buncher Co. did not return calls
yesterday.
Becky Rodgers, executive director of the Neighbors in the Strip
community group, said when contacted after the meeting that there's
been no public discussion of the already-bustling area as a casino
site, and neighborhood reactions would probably be mixed.
"Location-wise, it would probably be very good near the convention
center and on the river near Downtown," she said. "On the negative,
it would change the Strip from the 24-hour open market image that it
has. It's hard to comment because we don't really know the
specifics."
City Councilman Sala Udin, whose district encompasses the Buncher
property and other sites under consideration, said, "They all have
their strong points and less-than-strong points.
"What we ought to be concerned about is the criteria for awarding the
license and not so much who's our favorite applicant by name," added
Udin, also a member of the mayor's panel. "We ought to look at what
the community benefit is, what their site and design proposals look
like, how they're going to market this thing."
Aside from obtaining consulting expertise, committee members
discussed other ways to use $50,000 in initial funding tentatively
approved by the Heinz Endowments. Those include hiring a staff person
to manage organizational details and conduct fact-finding trips to
casinos elsewhere.
The panel took initial steps to form committees focused on the
project's economic impact, social impact and siting/design issues.
Members also discussed the need to adopt an ethics statement to guide
them in dealing with representatives of various gambling industry
interests.
Murphy, who led the discussion yesterday but expects to have a lesser
role in subsequent meetings, said committee members should assume
they're planning for a larger impact than from a slots parlor alone,
based on gambling expansion trends.
"I'm guessing, in three to five years, it's a full-blown casino," the
mayor predicted.
I grew up in Pittsburgh and venture back every year. I'm anxiously
awaiting both the Pittsburgh casino and the racino down towards
Washington, PA. Imagine a dozen or so Foxwoods in one state. With
5000
machines one would hope there would be a little good VP. Sorry to
hear
that it will be 2007 before it opens. I think the racino
(Meadowlands) may offer slots earlier. Any additonal news would be
appreciated.George in SF
Hey George,
I've heard that the Casino in Pittsburgh will open sometime in 2006
and the one at the Meadowlands will open sooner, I am hoping
Pennsylvania doesn't do like West Virginia and have VLT slots and
video poker.
I used to visit the Meadowlands in Washington County all the time and
Joe Hardy was hanging around there sometime; he owns Eighty Four
Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands.
Nemacolin Woodlands will have a slot parlor too, but you will need to
be staying there to play.
I'll post important information about Pa. slots!
Al
http://www.nemacolin.com/index.asp
Perhaps they could theme the new casino with the Warhol museum...the
Warhol museum is rolling in $s and could easily fund a grand casino.
I grew up in Pittsburgh and venture back every year. I'm anxiously
awaiting both the Pittsburgh casino and the racino down towards
Washington, PA. Imagine a dozen or so Foxwoods in one state. With
5000
machines one would hope there would be a little good VP. Sorry to
hear
that it will be 2007 before it opens. I think the racino
(Meadowlands) may offer slots earlier. Any additonal news would be
appreciated.George in SF
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "westwind281wagb" <jacks1eyed@n...>
wrote:
>
> City's slots advisory board enters new world
> Panel to find consults to make gambling work for Pittsburgh
> Friday, April 22, 2005
> By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
> Like an inexperienced recruit joining savvy sailors at a craps
game
> for the first time, a new task force intending to influence
> Pittsburgh's legalized gambling had a lot of questions yesterday
that
> defied easy explanation:
> How much revenue is likely to be earned by whomever wins the
license
> to operate up to 5,000 slot machines?
> Will it be a facility dependent on local players or designed as a
> destination center for out-of-towners?
> What is the best criteria for the city to use in determining its
> preferred gaming site and developer?
> Those were but a few of the issues pondered by volunteer members
of
> the Pittsburgh Citizens Gaming Advisory Panel at its initial
meeting
> yesterday. Members agreed their role is not to challenge the
merits
> of legalized gambling, but to make it work in the best way
possible
> for the city.
> Before going to their day jobs, they met over bagels and coffee
in
> the conference room of Mayor Tom Murphy, who appointed them to
the
> panel three weeks ago from a cross-section of business, labor,
> political and community groups.
> No one -- the mayor included -- tried to bluff his way through
the
> meeting by posturing as an expert on gambling, a major American
> growth industry expected to make its way to Pittsburgh no sooner
than
> 2007 as a result of last year's state legislation.
> "To me, the big issue is -- I don't understand this issue," said
Mark
> Schneider, a local developer who is president of the Rubinoff Co.
> Others around him nodded or murmured in concurrence, and promptly
> designated Schneider to find gaming consultants who can advise
the
> panel on industry trends and how Pittsburgh fits into the
national
> picture.
> Any company that operates a slots parlor in the city will
probably
> invest at least $150 million in construction and equipment on top
of
> the $50 million required by the state for a license, Murphy said.
> The lame-duck mayor's primary charge to the group, which has no
> guaranteed authority, is to influence both the potential
operators of
> Pittsburgh's future slots parlor and the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control
> Board. That state board, made up of gubernatorial and state
> legislative appointees, is expected to determine next year which
> applicant will win the license and where the facility will be
> located.
> Running down the site possibilities for the one slots parlor to
be
> licensed within Pittsburgh city limits -- out of 14 statewide --
> members noted that the mix now includes Strip District property
> adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
> That parcel, east of 11th Street and bounded by the Allegheny
River
> and Smallman Street, is owned by the Buncher Co. and is used for
> parking. Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming is said to be reviewing
it
> as a site option.
> Other potential sites include Station Square, the area around
Mellon
> Arena and two separate North Shore parcels near the stadiums and
> Carnegie Science Center.
> Highlighting just how speculative the process is, MTR Gaming has
been
> identified previously as a potential partner of the Pittsburgh
> Penguins in developing a slots parlor near Mellon Arena, with
part of
> the proceeds to be used to build a new sports facility for the
hockey
> team.
> MTR Gaming consultant John Brabender, who did not attend the
panel's
> meeting, said later that the owner of Mountaineer Racetrack &
Gaming
> Resort is open to multiple partners and multiple sites in wanting
to
> invest in Pittsburgh.
> Because MTR will hold a slots license at a new racetrack it is
> developing in Erie, it is limited by law to holding no more than
one-
> third ownership in any license awarded in Pittsburgh.
> The West Virginia gambling firm has not closed the door on
working
> with Penguins' owner Mario Lemieux, "but Mountaineer's interest
in
> going after a gaming facility is not limited to the Pittsburgh
> Penguins," Brabender said. "It's premature to say there are
specific
> partners or locations or anything else."
> Representatives of the Penguins and Buncher Co. did not return
calls
> yesterday.
> Becky Rodgers, executive director of the Neighbors in the Strip
> community group, said when contacted after the meeting that
there's
> been no public discussion of the already-bustling area as a
casino
> site, and neighborhood reactions would probably be mixed.
> "Location-wise, it would probably be very good near the
convention
> center and on the river near Downtown," she said. "On the
negative,
> it would change the Strip from the 24-hour open market image that
it
> has. It's hard to comment because we don't really know the
> specifics."
> City Councilman Sala Udin, whose district encompasses the Buncher
> property and other sites under consideration, said, "They all
have
> their strong points and less-than-strong points.
> "What we ought to be concerned about is the criteria for awarding
the
> license and not so much who's our favorite applicant by name,"
added
> Udin, also a member of the mayor's panel. "We ought to look at
what
> the community benefit is, what their site and design proposals
look
> like, how they're going to market this thing."
> Aside from obtaining consulting expertise, committee members
> discussed other ways to use $50,000 in initial funding
tentatively
> approved by the Heinz Endowments. Those include hiring a staff
person
> to manage organizational details and conduct fact-finding trips
to
> casinos elsewhere.
> The panel took initial steps to form committees focused on the
> project's economic impact, social impact and siting/design
issues.
> Members also discussed the need to adopt an ethics statement to
guide
> them in dealing with representatives of various gambling industry
> interests.
> Murphy, who led the discussion yesterday but expects to have a
lesser
> role in subsequent meetings, said committee members should assume
> they're planning for a larger impact than from a slots parlor
alone,
> based on gambling expansion trends.
> "I'm guessing, in three to five years, it's a full-blown casino,"
the
···
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "catcat94114" <wxmen@f...> wrote:
> mayor predicted.
>
>
> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05112/492548.stm
I grew up in Pittsburgh and venture back every year. I'm anxiously
> awaiting both the Pittsburgh casino and the racino down towards
> Washington, PA. Imagine a dozen or so Foxwoods in one state. With
5000
> machines one would hope there would be a little good VP. Sorry to
hear
> that it will be 2007 before it opens. I think the racino
> (Meadowlands) may offer slots earlier. Any additonal news would
be
> appreciated.
>
> George in SF
Developer wants to build casino complex in Gettysburg
Mixing history and gambling
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau
GETTYSBURG -- Lumberyard manager Don O'Brien was whacking golf balls
yesterday at the Gettysburg Driving Range, located where busy four-
lane Routes 30 and 15 intersect, about three miles from Gettysburg's
historic town square and four miles from the famous Civil War
battlefield and national cemetery.
The 42-acre site, which now is just a large, grassy field with a
vacant house and barn on it, is the spot where local motorcycle
dealer David LeVan and his partners want to build a slot machine
casino, performing arts theater and health spa that would
cost "hundreds of millions of dollars."
O'Brien said that while he doesn't gamble himself, he's not opposed
to a tourist magnet like a casino, which might work well with
Gettysburg's already powerful attractions -- its historic battlefield
and museum and its downtown of quaint shops and restaurants.
"There's a lot of tourist traffic through here in the summer season
and a casino would give people one more reason to come," he said. "It
would also supply some night life."
LeVan, 59, owner of Battlefield Harley-Davidson, grew up in
Gettysburg but spent 30 years in Philadelphia as an accountant and
then chief executive officer of Conrail. He left Conrail in 1997,
when it was taken over by Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.
LeVan, who sports a ponytail and a noticeable tan, met reporters
yesterday to outline his casino/spa/entertainment proposal, which
likely will compete against two or more other stand-alone casino
proposals for a state license from the new Gaming Control Board.
LeVan said his project will help the local economy by creating "over
1,000" permanent hospitality jobs plus hundreds of temporary
construction jobs, and could generate $10 million in new revenue for
local schools and Adams County government.
He couldn't given an exact price for the project, except to say that
the "hundreds of millions of dollars" will come from private sources.
There is already some publicly funded lane-widening planned for the
intersection of Route 30, a heavily commercial east-west road, with
Route 15, which goes north to Harrisburg and south into Maryland.
Now that he has a site in mind, he said, the next step is to form a
partnership with a national casino company that would run the slots
venue. He didn't drop any potential names.
The 42 acres that LeVan has in mind are owned by another Gettysburg
developer, Robert Monahan. He isn't one of LeVan's investors but is
building a major project of his own, the $250 million "Gateway
Gettysburg," directly across Route 30 from the casino site. It will
consist of four hotels, a convention center, an eight-screen movie
theater, restaurants and retail. Monahan's project is under
construction.
Monahan was with LeVan yesterday and said he thinks his hotel/retail
project would fit nicely with the casino. He's willing to sell LeVan
42 acres where the driving range now sits, if LeVan can get a state
gaming license.
LeVan and his partners probably will compete with stand-alone casino
proposals for sites in the Lehigh Valley and in the Pocono Mountains
of northeastern Pennsylvania.
The July 2004 slots law guarantees that Philadelphia will get two
stand-alone casinos and Pittsburgh one. Two others will go elsewhere
in the state. There also will be seven racetrack/casinos and two
resort hotel casinos.
The Gettysburg casino site is about 50 miles south of a
racetrack/casino that will be operated by Penn National Racing (in
Grantville, northeast of Harrisburg) and about 70 miles north of
another Penn National facility, Charles Town Races and Slots in
eastern West Virginia.
Even if LeVan's group gets a gaming license from the state, he said
he doesn't expect his facility to be open until 2008.
Competition from other sites isn't the only hurdle for LeVan. There's
a lot of skepticism in this socially conservative area of small
towns. State Rep. Stephen Maitland, R-Adams, said a poll of his
constituents last year showed 68 percent opposed gambling in the
county.
LeVan said a telephone poll done by a Pittsburgh consulting firm,
Brabender Cox, showed "a majority" of 300 respondents like the casino
idea. He declined to give specific figures.
Adams County Commissioner Lucy Lott, who along with other local
officials attended a breakfast briefing with LeVan yesterday, said
she knows and likes LeVan, a Gettysburg College trustee and local
philanthropist who's given money to the college and to the
restoration of a historic performing arts theater in downtown
Gettysburg called The Majestic.
"David does things that benefit the community," Lott said. "This is
definitely a conservative area and I'm sure there will be some issues
regarding that. But I think he's targeting visitors and tourists [for
the casino], especially people from Maryland, West Virginia and
Virginia, rather than local folks."
Some prominent historic group officials are willing to consider the
casino idea.
Robert Wilburn, the former president of the Carnegie Institute and
Library in Pittsburgh, now is president of the Gettysburg National
Battlefield Museum Foundation.
"I don't reject the idea out of hand, but I want to see what the
plans are," he said yesterday. "I don't really see any reason why it
can't coexist with the national military park."
The proposed site along Route 30 "seems appropriate for a business
establishment" like a casino, he said, and is already quite
commercial, with motels, restaurants, stores and a Wal-Mart.
Barbara Franco, executive director of the state Historical and Museum
Commission, said a key factor is "preserving the historical fabric"
of an area.
She noted that Route 15 was "a major pathway up from Virginia and
Maryland" for Confederate troops who trekked to Gettysburg to fight
in the historic three-day battle in early July 1863. She wants to
protect open space and the "landscape of historical significance" in
the area.
She said there already is "tremendous pressure for development in the
Gettysburg area, especially along the Maryland border," a few miles
south of town.
The state Gaming Control Board probably won't consider applications
for the five stand-alone casinos until next year. First, the seven
board members have said, the board will approve gaming licenses for
seven racetrack/casinos in Pennsylvania -- four that already exist
and three still to be built.