$111 Million Casino Proposed In Berks County

BERKS COUNTY, PA — A new casino could be on the way to Berks County.

Penn National Gaming, a nationwide gaming organization, has filed a proposal with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to build the "Hollywood Casino Morgantown" in Caernarvon Township.

The proposal calls for a $111 million property on a 36-acre site, which would bring more than 500 jobs to the area, Penn National said. The new casino would include 750 slot machines, 30 table games, a restaurant, entertainment lounge, food court, and mroe.

There would be 250 new local jobs and 275 construction jobs.If the proposal is approved, officials said construction can be completed in 18 months.

The property, a vacant site near the intersection of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-176, and the Morgantown Expressway, was chosen for its ease of access, Penn National said.

"We explored numerous locations," Timothy J. Wilmott, Penn National CEO, said in a statement. This location is "ideally situated to generate new revenues from the more densely populated suburbs to the west of Philadelphia."

Caernarvon Township will receive two percent gross tax revenue on slot machines and one percent of revenue from table games. Revenue is also distrubuted at the state and county level.

Penn National already owns the Penn National Race Course in Berks County.

Rendering of Hollywood Casino Morgantown via