Aug 14, 2008 11:46 pm US/Eastern
Transfer Of Slots License To Bluhm Approved
HARRISBURG (KDKA) ―
The slots casino planned for Pittsburgh's North Shore is now under new ownership.
With a unanimous vote, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the license transfer to Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm from Don Barden saying it was the best decision for the city and the region.
"You're going to have a wonderful casino, a great project on the river and I'm sure the citizens of Pittsburgh will enjoy it and at the same time create a lot of jobs and create a lot of tax revenues," Bluhm said.
Opponents painted Bluhm as a "wheeler dealer" - thwarted in his efforts to build a casino in Philadelphia and now doing an end around on the gaming law to get one in Pittsburgh.
"We believe that Neil Bluhm is trying to hedge his bets improperly," Paul Soni from Casino Free Philadelphia said. "He cannot build Sugar House Casino in Philadelphia and he won't and he sees that opposition and those obstacles so he's trying to seek a new opportunity in Pittsburgh.
"But the law only allows him to own one casino. Therefore Mr. Bluhm's application must be denied," he added.
Sandford Rivers, a member of the gaming board, says the board was above board and he voted for the transfer because he believes Bluhm will deliver a first-class casino.
"Mr. Bluhm, you are providing Pittsburgh with just that - a world-class facility," he said. "Mr. Bluhm, thank you for removing the doom and gloom that hovers over the Pittsburgh casino."
Bluhm says it's all systems go for the casino.
"Tomorrow we should be wiring funds and hopefully closing the transaction and on Monday the contractors will be back at work and we'll be on our way," Bluhm said.
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