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Slots considered for steel works
As reported by The Brown and White
South Bethlehem,
PA -- A slots-only casino may be built on 25 to 30 acres of
former Bethlehem Steel land if the city is granted a gaming license.
One day after
purchasing 120 acres of steel land Sept. 14, the investment group
BethWorks Now met with legislators in Harrisburg to discuss plans
for a gambling resort, The Morning Call reported.
While the construction
of a casino would require tens of millions of dollars in fees and
taxes, the proposed casino's expected profit is $250 million a year,
The Morning Call reported. Approximately 2,500 jobs would be generated
by the gambling resort.
BethWorks Now
has met with several big-name casino chains about the plans, including
Isle of Capri Casino, MGM Casino and Trump Casino. All are interested
in expansion to Pennsylvania.
Slots-only gambling
is now legal in Pennsylvania. A maximum of 14 gambling locations
are allowed under state law. Because of restrictions on slot machine
locations, only two casinos can be built in areas like South Bethlehem.
This puts the city in competition with dozens of other cities vying
for gambling licenses.
BethWorks Now,
run in part by Phillipsburg, N.J., attorney Michael Perrucci and
New York City attorney Richard Fischbein, stated that casino profits
could ultimately be used to preserve the blast furnaces and some
industrial buildings on the site, which are historical landmarks.
The majority
of the site will be used for new shops, offices, restaurants, residences,
hotels, research facilities and parks. A National Museum of Industrial
History may be built at the site if adequate funds are raised. Because
planning is still in its initial stages, BethWorks Now has not stated
which steel buildings will be saved, or how many.
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