Where are we at with the draft language?” Tommy would like to introduce this bill sometime next week. “Good Morning Gents,” Ryan Skoczylas, Tomlison’s chief of staff, wrote in an April email with the subject line “Language” to lobbyists for Parx Casino, which is located in Tomlinson’s district.“Hope everyone had a great Easter Weekend.

At the senator’s request, lobbyists and lawyers for Pennsylvania’s top-earning casino had drafted the bill, and the final text matched that version almost word-for-word. What the public had no way of knowing is that the bill Tomlinson introduced that day was ghostwritten by the gaming industry. More than 1,000 municipalities - about 40 percent of the state, including nine in Westmoreland County - have notified the gaming board they will not permit a casino within their borders, according to information submitted to the gaming board.“These machines are essentially picking the pockets of our senior citizens,” Tomlinson said at the time, referencing lottery revenue that underwrites programs for older Pennsylvanians. Harbach said the exclusivity zones will be redrawn after every auction and extended to include the new mini casino locations. In Westmoreland County, areas north of New Stanton and east of Jeannette are outside of the 25-mile exclusive zones of the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, at least for the initial auction. Casino owners will be permitted to build smaller facilities within 25 miles of their own places. Under gaming laws approved last year, the mini casinos must be at least 25 miles from an existing facility. Industry experts have suggested that Westmoreland County would be a prime location for one of the smaller casinos because of its population and position on the map. We’re hoping,” said Jason Rigone, the county’s planning director. “We’ve been interested in a facility, and Westmoreland County would embrace the opportunity to have a casino here.

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