Applicants to make pitch for Philly casino license

January 28, 2014 at 8:39a.m.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Do they feel lucky?

Beginning this morning, the applicants for Pennsylvania’s fifth and final stand-alone casino license will try to make their own luck when they pitch their projects to state gambling regulators in Philadelphia.

Two of the applicants want to build casinos in downtown Philadelphia, while three others have proposed building near the sports stadiums in south Philadelphia. City officials have said they believe a downtown location has the greatest potential.

Today’s session opens with Penn National Gaming Inc.’s Hollywood Casino proposal. Regulators will also hear from a developer who wants to convert the former home of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News into the $700 million Provence casino.

The other applicants will get their chance Wednesday and Thursday. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board expects to make a decision within a few months.