Economic worries sap pool of Pa. casino hopefuls

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gambling at Pennsylvania's slot-machine casinos increased last month despite rising unemployment and economic turbulence that prompted one Pocono Mountains vacation spot to give up pursuit of a mini-slots license. Split Rock Resort said it is pulling its application for a $5 million license after deciding that it should be prudent in the current downturn, especially since 500 slot machines would not add much to the bottom line. "The financial situation of the world right now is not very good and ... we felt more comfortable backing out than we did moving forward," said Chuck Dickinson, the director of special projects for Vacation Charters Ltd., which owns the Lake Harmony resort. One worry was whether Split Rock would be able to get loans to build a $20 million-plus slots parlor, Dickinson said. Also, the... [read full story]