PA Gaming Control Releases Public Comments on Hearings

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today published on its Web site some 1,200 written comments submitted to the Board as part of its public-input hearing process. To
  view the comments, visit pgcb.state.pa.us, click on the information box "Public Input Hearings, Local Impact Reports, and Diversity Plans" and choose "Written Comments."

"The public-input hearings were a key step in the licensing process because they gave the Board an evidentiary record of the thoughts of individuals, community groups and elected officials in the communities where gaming facilities are being proposed," said Anne Neeb, Executive Director of the Gaming Control Board. "It's essential for the public to know what was submitted in writing -- in addition to what was said in person at the hearings."

The public-input hearings were the second of four phases of the Gaming Control Board's comprehensive licensing process. The first phase -- Application -- was completed in December 2005. The public-input hearings were then held across the Commonwealth over 18 days in April and May. Almost 600 people testified in person, and the Board also accepted written comments for inclusion in the evidentiary record.

The third phase -- Licensing Hearings -- begins Sept. 11, 2006. The final phase -- Licensure -- will take place before the end of 2006.

The Gaming Control Board is on track to award the first gaming licenses -- to operators of gaming facilities at horse-racing tracks -- on Sept. 27, 2006. It expects to award permanent gaming licenses in December 2006.