Firm wins right to put casino in Lawrence County, near Ohio

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The owners of the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Pocono Mountains have won the rights to build a mini-casino in Lawrence County, on the Ohio border.

They submitted a winning bid Thursday of $21.9 million.

It was the best of three offers, for the third mini-casino auction to date.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is auctioning the rights to 10 new mini-casinos. They can have 750 slot machines and license holders can pay another $2.5 million to operate 30 table games.

The first two licenses raised $90 million for a state government scrounging for cash, one for a casino in south-central Pennsylvania’s York County and another for a casino in Westmoreland County, outside Pittsburgh.

Bids are limited to the state’s licensed casino owners, for now.