Philadelphia’s Parx Casino has applied to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for a sports betting license joining Penn National’s Hollywood Casino.
Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, which operates Parx casino, also applied to the board to launch sports betting at the South Philadelphia Turf Club, an off-track betting facility. That would give the company two retail sports betting facilities along with online gaming.
“This collective past experience and success clearly renders GGE qualified to conduct sports wagering,” the company said in its application. “Based on its performance to date, there can be no doubt that the conduct of sports wagering by GGE will significantly expand the positive economic impact the casino currently provides to the commonwealth, its municipalities and residents.”
The application also asks the regulatory body to move quickly to allow the company to open during the current NFL season. However, state officials are unlikely to approve any applications before October.
Parx said it wants to operate “a combination of land-based, mobile, and interactive sports wagering.”
Greenwood also owns two other OTBs in the state, but no petitions for those locations were submitted according to LegalSportsReport.com.
Owners of Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos can seek a sports betting license for $10 million. There has been concern that the high licensing fee and a proposed about 36 percent tax on sports books was causing many casino companies in the state to balk at pursuing a license.
In a report in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Penn National company senior vice president Eric Schippers said the company decided to make the first application for a sports betting license despite its concerns.
“While we continue to have concerns about the tax rate, we ultimately decided to make a go of it, while continuing to educate the Legislature on the importance of a competitive tax rate,” he told the paper. “We felt the best way to do that is to share our firsthand experience with them.”
There were also signs that Valley Forge Casino will apply for a sports betting license as reports emerged that daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel Group will strike a partnership with the casino to offer a sports book.
The casino has not applied for a license, but the website PlayPennsylvania reported the two companies are close to a deal.
FanDuel Group is now part of Paddy Power Betfair and operates the sports book at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey. It also has partnerships with two West Virginia casinos. It also recently announced a partnership deal with Boyd Gaming.
