A delegation of county and municipal officials met with representatives from the Mount Airy Casino Resort in northeastern Pennsylvania on Wednesday about the possibility of bringing a mini-casino to Beaver County.
The delegation – comprising county Commissioner Dan Camp, county solicitor Garen Fedeles, and municipal officials from Big Beaver – traveled across the state Wednesday and returned Thursday evening.
Those officials kept the details of the conversation close to the vest, but they did issue a joint statement about the meeting, which took place at Mount Airy’s headquarters in Mount Pocono in Monroe County.
In the statement, which came from Fedeles, the meeting with Mount Airy’s owners and management was described as “informative.”
“We are excited at the potential opportunity to have this development and what amenities it can bring to our county’s residents and those in the surrounding area,” the statement read. “We understand Mount Airy’s team is considering their options regarding the exact location for their casino, and we anxiously await their decision.”
No timeline was given on when Mount Airy officials might make their decision, although officials previously confirmed that the casino is considering a location in Big Beaver for the development.
A spokesperson for Mount Airy couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
Wherever the mini-casino is eventually constructed, it will have to be within a 15-mile radius of New Castle. That’s because when Mount Airy submitted a successful bid for the casino license in February, it was stipulated that it would be built near New Castle.
The license for the mini-casino is one of 10 that has been or will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, as per a state law passed last year that allowed for the expansion of gambling statewide. Each mini-casino will be permitted to offer up to 750 slot machines and, after paying a $2.5 million fee, up to 30 table games to start.
On Feb. 8, Mount Airy submitted a winning bid of $21.1 million for the license.