Gaming board ends plans for casino, mile-long harness track in Lawrence County

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has put an end to plans for a gambling facility in western Pennsylvania.

The seven-member board voted unanimously Wednesday to abandon the application for Lawrence Downs Casino and Racing Resort in Mahoning Township outside New Castle.

Endeka Entertainment had proposed the state's only one-mile harness racing track and a full casino. County officials said they expected it to bring as many as 600 jobs.

Several board members had expressed concerns about whether the project could be built for $205 million, which Endeka said included the licensing fee and construction costs.

Mahoning Township spent $10 million on a water plant and other development for the property. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Commission Chairman Vito Yeropoli said the township is struggling to repay the debt.

Associated Press