PA Gaming Control Board to Hold Public Hearing on April 5th for Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem License Renewal

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 5, 2018 to gather evidence, including public comment, on the renewal of the operator's license for Sands Bethworks, LLC, operator of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem located in Northampton County.

The hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Bethlehem Town Hall, 10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.

Complete information on the hearing, including links to sign up to present oral comment at the hearing or to provide written comment prior to the hearing, is on the Board's web site, www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, under its Quick Links section of the home page. The deadline for registration to speak at this hearing is noon on Tuesday, April 3, 2018.

Written comments can be mailed, with a postmark no later than Tuesday, April 3^rd to:
PA Gaming Control Board
P.O. Box 69060
Harrisburg, PA 17106
Attention: Board Clerk

Comments can also be faxed prior to that deadline to 717-265-7416 or e-mailed to [email protected].

Pursuant to section 1326 of the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, all licenses shall be subject to renewal every five years. The renewal application must include an update of the information since its last renewal. 

To implement the renewal requirement, the Board utilizes a two-step process: 

• First, the April 5^th public hearing will be held before the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals for the purpose of receiving documentary evidence, hearing testimony and building a record upon which the Board will base its licensing decision. The hearing record, along with a report from the Director of Hearings and Appeals, will be transmitted to the Board.
• The second step is to hold a separate public hearing in Harrisburg at a later date where Sands Bethworks, LLC representatives will offer oral arguments and Board members can ask additional questions.

At the renewal hearing, the burden is on the renewal applicant to establish and demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, its eligibility and suitability for renewal of the gaming license.  During the hearings, the renewal applicant will be given the opportunity to demonstrate, among other things, its good character, honesty and integrity; compliance with its statement of conditions; tax revenue generated; jobs created; amenities added since the last renewal; success in implementing its diversity plan; and involvement in the surrounding communities. 

Following these proceedings, the Board will then be able to determine whether the licensee remains eligible and suitable consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth, and are otherwise qualified to have the license renewed for a five-year period.

All questions that are not press-related should be referred to the PGCB's Office of Hearings and Appeals at (717) 265-7451.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry, along with oversight of new gaming initiatives to the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act recently approved through the signing of Act 42 of 2017.

The Commonwealth's casino industry currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ 18,000 people and annually generate approximately $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners.

Additional information about both the PGCB's gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board