Sunday, April 02, 2006

The new date, which will be announced when details are complete, is in addition to the previously announced hearing dates of April 10-12, 2006.

The Board will gather public input on the five proposals for two standalone gaming licenses in the city of Philadelphia on April 10-12. It will gather input on the proposals for gaming licenses at horseracing tracks in Bucks County and Delaware County on the new hearing date.

"Public input is a critical part of the licensing process, and the Gaming Control Board is committed to ensuring that people across Pennsylvania have an opportunity for their views to become part of the permanent record the Board considers when deciding which proposals are approved for licensure," Neeb said.

"The Board received timely registrations from almost 1,100 individuals, community organizations, local governments and applicants statewide, including 216 for the Philadelphia-area proposals," she added. "To ensure an opportunity to be heard, we have added a fourth day of hearings in the region."

Registrants are being notified by mail of the hearing at which they will have an opportunity to testify, Neeb said. Those who cannot attend this hearing may submit written comments for inclusion in the evidentiary record that will have a weight equal to testimony presented in person. A copy of the comment-submission form and instructions for filing it are included in the mail notification to registrants.

People who submit written comments will have until June 2, 2006 to send their comments by mail to the Gaming Control Board for inclusion in the evidentiary record, Neeb said.

The mailing address for written comments is:

Office of the Clerk

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

PO Box 69060

Harrisburg, PA 17101

All other rules and procedures governing the hearings remain as originally announced, Neeb said. For further details, visit the Gaming Control Board's Web site, www.pgcb.state.pa.us, and click on the "Public Input Hearings" button.

Separately, the Board has added a third day of hearings on Lehigh Valley- area proposals.

Overall, there will now be 18 days of hearings scheduled for nine locations across the Commonwealth, Neeb added. The Gaming Control Board is considering 22 applications for the 14 gaming licenses authorized by Act 71 of 2004.