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Penn National gets temporary license for slots at Austintown racino
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
State lottery officials have granted a temporary license to Penn National Gaming for video slots at its new Austintown racino.
The move allows Penn to move forward with purchasing the video-lottery terminals, hiring employees to oversee their operation and addressing other related issues in advance of a formal opening later this year.
Lottery spokeswoman Danielle Frizzi-Babb confirmed the issuance of the temporary permit Wednesday afternoon.
The administrative decision did not require a vote of the full lottery commission.
A final operating license will be required before customers can play the electric slots and likely will be issued just before the Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course opens its doors.
Penn spokesman Bob Tenenbaum said the racino will open sometime in the fall with 850 video-lottery terminals. A specific opening date has not been announced.
Earlier this year, Penn received its racing permit for the Austintown site from the state racing commission, a required step before pursuing the video-slots approval.
Penn plans to host more than 20 live racing days this year at the new racino, starting in late November. The company plans to offer about 100 racing days in 2015 and is working with Thistledown, a thoroughbred track in the Cleveland area, to ensure there’s no overlap with race dates.