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Investors’ Pitch for Gettysburg Casino Draws Heat Anew

Posted on November 18th, 2010

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The ongoing crusade of the proposed casino in Gettysburg has just gotten more dramatic with yet another town hall meeting, this time organized by the investors interested in building the casino close to the historic battlefield. The proposal forwarded to state officials by investors is for the cibstruction of a resort casino that would be located south of the Gettysburg National Military Park itself. They are pitching that their proposal is viable because there is virtually no competition in the area. The locals support their plan and the casino will be handled by an experienced operating team. With these factors, they are arguing that their plan is the best option that should be awarded the last casino license of the state of Pennsylvania.

However, the members of the state Gaming Control Board said that the plan forwarded by the investors is actually in contrast to the spirit of the license, which is to give guests at the resort an additional amenity. The Board did not even, during the meeting, raise the objections of the majority of those opposed to the project, which has gathered a lot of hype because of the project’s proximity to the American Civil War landmark. The current proposal is to build a casino on one of the floors of the Eisenhower Hotel and Conference Center, located in Cumberland Township, Adams County. The last available license has attracted three other groups, but they are proposing facilities in other locations. The license allows the new facility to host 600 slot machines and 50 table games. Hearings for the three remaining bidders will last until Thursday.

The investors with Mason-Dixon, the company interested I building the Eisenhower casino, led by David LeVan, claimed a casino near Gettysburg would allow money to flow from the southern part of the state as well as the northern portions of neighboring Maryland. He claimed, “It would allow Pennsylvania to enter its last untapped gaming marketplace.” He also explained that his group’s bid has strong local support, despite being controversial in the national level. The group commissioned its own survey to measure the support for their project, and it claims to have close to two-thirds of the local population behind their plan. Mason-Dixon, LeVan’s group, also claims that the operator’s success will surely rub on their project. The group has chosen to partner with Penn National to be the operagtor of the eventual casino. LeVan claimed that Penn National’s experience and track record, as seen in other casinos it operates, including the Hollywood Casino in East Hanover Township will surely be beneficial to them.

Gaming board officials, however, pointed out that the projections made by Mason-Dixon are exactly against the license’s nature. Gaming commissioner Kenneth McCabe pointed out, “Your numbers, your drive times are great if you’re opening up a category two casino. But, they’re troubling for a proposed resort casino where you have to be a guest staying at the resort or using the other amenities there to be able to go to the casino.” As for the audience, more than 160 people, more or less equally divided between supporters and opponents the casino came out to listen to LeVans group pitch their plan. Both groups, wearing white T-shirts filled with buttons with red and blue lettering, occupied the auditorium of the State Museum of Pennsylvania as Mason-Dixon Resort and Casino explained their projections through Powerpoint presentations and videos.

One of the supporters is Robert Gilbert, 75, donning a T-shirt which reads, “Pro Jobs, Pro Tax Relief, Pro Casino.” Gilbert was born and raised in Gettysburg, and he claims that his town badly needs new development to survive in the future. He articulated, “I don’t tell people out of state how to live and I don’t expect people out of state to tell me.” On the opposing side of the issue is Carey Moore, a retired archaeologist and professor from Gettysburg. The historic significance of the area will be desecrated according to him once a casino will be built. He explained, “It’s not just the inheritance of Adams County. It’s the inheritance of the entire world.” As with other casino opponents, he wore a t-shirt with the slogan “No Casino in Gettysburg.”
The awarding of the license is much anticipated, and is bound to happen by next month the earliest.