Penn National goes ahead with USD 225 mn parlor project

At a time when vote on the case of repeal Massachusetts’ 2011 casino law still have three month to be heard, Penn National Gaming has said that it is moving forward with its plans to open the state’s first slot parlor near the Rhode Island.

Penn National won the first gambling license of the state for a proposed parlor at the Plainridge Racecourse in February. The project officially took shape on the USD 225 million project in March.

The proposed parlor facility will be called Plainridge Park Casino. It is scheduled to be opened next June. Meanwhile, about 200 construction workers are deployed on the 100-acre property. The proposed parlor is planned to be built near the current clubhouse of the racetrack. That parlor will have about 1,250 slot machines video blackjack terminals and video poker.

According to the sources, the company expects to spend more than USD 100 million on the project by November-end. The construction work on exteriors is likely to finish by that time.

According to a senior official of Penn National, the company is working on the project currently and is moving forward with its plans despite the November vote.

“It is a risk, but it is a calculated risk. We are confident we will prevail in November,”Jay Snowden, Penn National’s chief operating officer, said during a recent site visit with company officials, local politicians and labor union leaders.

Wyomissing, a Pennsylvania-based hiring company, will begin accepting application of the interested candidates to fill 500 permanent jobs at the casino.

Meanwhile, the company’s decision, to go ahead with the casino project amid a pending court judgement, has invited mixed reactions from all quarters.

“Penn National is overconfident. Other gambling operators — notably MGM Resorts International, which was granted a casino license for its USD 800 million Springfield development — have chosen to wait out the November vote before breaking ground, “ said Darek Barcikowski, campaign manager for the anti-casino “Repeal the Casino Deal” group.

While the casino supporters hailed the decision and said that the construction activity at Plainridge is as a critical piece in the run-up to November. It has provided the voters with a tangible example of the casino law’s economic potential.

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Christina Langfold

Remember that weird girl in school who never quite managed to fit in? Who was always silent and strange? That was me during my entire teenage life. A few years after finishing college (with a degree in arts) I decided that the best way to become more sociable, while also feeling safe, is to test my people skills online.