Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, in the state of Pennsylvania, has applied to renew its casino license for a further five years.
Brian Carr, CEO of the casino operator, stated an extension to the license, first granted in 2009, will allow the venue to expand to 3,053 slot machines, 189 table games, and 26 poker tables.
“Las Vegas Sands is pleased and proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the last nine years,” said Carr at the local hearing. “We look forward to the future and very much appreciate the opportunity to apply for this renewal.”
The 150,700 sq ft site currently employs 2,500 Pennsylvania residents, and provides an annual state compensation of $44,900. Since its opening, the Sands Casino resort has also contributed over $94m in property and sales taxes to the Pennsylvania government.
Despite the meeting in Bethlehem’s Town Hall hearing the case for a licence extension, no mention was made of the upcoming sale of the casino to Wind Creek Hospitality.
The $1.3bn agreement between Sands and the affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama was made in March, but will not be considered final until the passing of the due diligence stage.
However, Bethlehem Mayor Robert Donchez, though not present at the meeting, did reference the sale in a written statement.
“We are hopeful that this property could become a flagship enterprise for Wind Creek,” said Donchez. “We do hope that this sale represents the opportunity to restart some stalled development.”
