Penn Nat Ups Ante in Bid for MD Casino

MD may be a state that is developing too many casino? See thread in JC

PNGI Ups Ante in Bid for Maryland Casino
By Tom LaMarra

Penn National Gaming Inc., which is seeking a license to build a resort casino in Maryland, has taken the bold step of announcing it will share its profits with the community in Prince George's County, where a casino will be built by one of three companies.

The companies have applied to the Maryland Video Lottery Location Committee to build a destination-type casino, which was approved by voters in a November 2012 referendum. The others are MGM and Greenwood Gaming.

PNGI wants to build a casino at Rosecroft Raceway, a harness track it purchased out of bankruptcy several years ago. The track is located in Prince George's County just south of Washington, D.C.

PNGI said it would make a presentation to amend its application during an Oct. 21 meeting of the location committee. In a release, the company said hundreds of millions dollars from the proposed casino would go toward the Prince George's County hospital system, retirement benefits for educators in the county, and community organizations, for more than a decade after the second year of operation.

PNGI has been considered an underdog for the Prince George's County casino license behind MGM, which plans a resort casino for the National Harbor not far from Rosecroft. PNGI already owns and operates a casino in Perryville in northeastern Maryland.