Pennsylvania’s third mini-casino license auctioned for $21.2m

Pennsylvania’s third satellite casino license auction brought in significantly less money than the first two but you don’t hear the state government complaining.

Pennsylvania’s third Category 4 casino license auction was supposed to go down on Wednesday, but inclement weather forced the state to postpone the festivities for 24 hours. Three bids were received, with the operator of the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County coming out on top with a winning bid of just under $21.2m.

That sum is lower than the $40.1m paid by Stadium Gaming LLP two weeks ago, which was itself lower than the $50.1m that Penn National Gaming (PNG) paid for the state’s first Cat 4 auction last month. Regardless, with seven more licenses still up for grabs, the state has now earned $111.4m, significantly more than the $67.5m the state booked as potential revenue from the Cat 4 program this year.

Mount Airy has chosen the city of New Castle in Lawrence County as the site of its new satellite venue, which will boast somewhere between 300 and 750 slot machines, plus up to 30 gaming tables for an addition license fee of $2.5m.