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For those who are truly dedicated to restoring the draw
of the Pocono Mountains as a tourist destination, they are skeptical about
one of the applicants for the Pocono Manor’s slot machines license. If
Pocono Manor were made into a resort experience in the mountains, then it is
anticipate that the Manor’s slot machines could draw patrons from New York
city who currently go to the closer Atlantic City and Connecticut slots
parlors for slot machine gaming.
The investors and the developers for the Pocono Manor Resort and Casino are
led by Greg Matzel, a land developer in New Jersey. Matzel testified to the
Pennsylvania Gaming board that they deserved on the of the stand-alone slot
machines licenses because they would use it to increase the economy and
tourism in the Poconos. They said that their proposed $1.4 billion
investment will enable them to compete with the nearby resorts that offer
slot machines and gambling.
Pocono Manor’s chief executive, Dennis Gomes, had the following to say about
the planned resort. “You have to create a destination or — even though it’s
closer — they’re not going to come here. If you just create a slot
warehouse, they’re not going to forsake going to Atlantic City that has all
those things and come to ours, even though ours is closer. We have to create
a major competitive advantage.”
The other application was by a businessman who bought the Mount Airy Resort
and plans to invest a more modest sum of money into the resort and bring in
slot machines if approved. Both resorts cannot receive the licenses because
of their proximity to each other, so the PGB will try to have a decision by
around the 20th of December.
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