Penn National’s Promises

Years ago when the Charles Town Racetrack was facing financial ruin, Penn National stepped in and said that they would buy the track for $18 million and put another $30 million into it if voters would approve slot machines. So voters approved the slot machines and Penn National spent millions bringing in players from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The track became a huge success bringing in millions for the state.

Now, the state is considering adding table games to the existing slot machines, and Penn National is making promises again. They say that if the voters approve the table games, they will put another $200 million into the facility, including a conference center, 500 hotel rooms, and another parking garage. They say they have the land to expand, and they will, if the table games are approved. They also point out that all of these improvements would also add to another 500 new jobs immediately.

It isn’t just about the track and the town it is located in, either. The surrounding towns benefit just as much from the revenue and from the resources that became available when Charles Town started performing better. The small town of Ranson says that they have a “quality of life” that they would not have ever have been able to have without the track’s success. The local legislators say that there is some opposition to the table games, but they believe that they would pass in Jefferson County, only because the county has an understanding of how much the track really does for them.



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