Even though the pressure has been on for the board to hold off on issuing slots licenses, they have chosen to move ahead on behalf of their constituents. They feel that two years is long enough for residents to wait for slot machines, when they voted them in early July 2004. They begin issuing the slot machine licenses next month. 

The racetrack/casino licenses are going to be awarded September 27^th, and those will be temporary. They will only be valid for as long as eighteen months – to see how they are operating and how the slot machines are working out. They will be issuing permanent slot machine licenses to racetracks on December 20. The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association wrote to the board asking them not to delay the conditional licenses any longer than September; as they are going to be battling it out with their neighboring states for customers.  

They will be holding suitability hearings September 11-12 for six different applications for racetrack casino licenses. Then again on October 25^th for resort hotel slots licenses. They will also hold hearings on November 20-21 for those that are trying to get the one stand-alone casino license in Pittsburgh and one that will be seeking it in Gettysburg.

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