Pennsylvania’s SugarHouse now Rivers Casino Philadelphia

Pennsylvania’s first satellite casino is officially a go while one of the state’s largest existing casinos is undergoing a name change.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) unanimously approved the plan by Penn National Gaming (PNG) to construct a $111m ‘mini-casino’ in Berks County. Hollywood Casino Morgantown expects to open in late-2020 with 750 slots, 30 gaming tables (plus an option for 10 more), along with a sportsbook, restaurant and other amenities.

The state authorized auctioning off up to 10 Category 4 casinos under the gambling expansion legislation approved in 2017. However, the state called a halt to the process when the sixth auction produced exactly zero bids.

PNG won the first Cat 4 auction and also holds one of the other four Cat 4 licenses, with which the company hopes to build a venue in York County. PNG originally opposed the Cat 4 concept and only secured the licenses as a defensive strategy to protect its main Pennsylvania venue, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. PNG filed a lawsuit claiming the Cat 4 licenses were unconstitutional but ultimately dropped the suit.