Shippensburg, Pa., Residents Tell Parx Casino ‘We Don’t Want You Here’

The small borough of Shippensburg, Pa., is topper known for being rest home to one of the 14 tell universities inward Pennsylvania. But the parent accompany of the Parx Casino near Philadelphia, the largest gaming venue in the state, is seeking to bring slot machines, tabularize games, and a sportsbook to the college town.

The Keystone State Gaming Control Board (PGCB) held a public encounter on the proposed casino inwards Shippensburg shoemaker's last week, and residents made it clean-cut they aren’t in a welcoming mood for Parx.

We don’t want you here,” said Rev. Jim Rogers, a pastor at the Shippensburg First Church of God. “All of the lights and the big-screen TVs mean value zilch to us. That doesn’t assist the suffering that comes when people turn a loss their money so that you canful acquire rich, when people feature a concentrated clip feeding their children, paying their rent, and dealing with the addictions that follow with it.”

Parx Casino is owned and operated past Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment. The accompany obtained the rights to a orbiter casino licence during a 2018 auctioneer with a winning beseech of $8.1 million.

Category 4 casino licenses were authorised under the state’s major enlargement of gaming in 2017. The venues are permitted to put up upward to 750 one-armed bandit machines and 30 table games.

Resident Opposition

One past one, locals inwards the Shippensburg area told the PGCB that they’re interested with the potential societal harms a casino power bring. Will Rogers described the townsfolk as a backdrop rightfulness come out of a Hallmark movie, and gaming will harm that idyllic setting.

Supporters of the cassino pointed to the revenue enhancement revenue that the locale will bring, plus the 100 full-time positions Parx says the attribute testament create. “There are plenitude of jobs come out in that respect right wing now,” countered occupier Anastasia Hummer. “I tour around Shippensburg and every bingle come out has hiring signs.”

Parx says its workforce would middling $40,000 per year, positive benefits. Roughly 15 percent of Shippensburg lives at a lower place the federal impoverishment line.

“If you care almost poor people, let’s stress to receive them jobs,” argued local Josh Rosetta. “I’m not going to say that every poor soul can’t handgrip themselves, and all of a sudden they’re going to depart gambling.”

Supporters, Too

While opponents to the Parx Casino spoke loud regarding gaming addictions, in that respect were plenty inward attendance who lent their championship to the gaming facility. Unlike hundreds of other townships and municipalities inwards Pennsylvania, Shippensburg’s Board of Supervisors did not opt come out of Category 4 consideration.

I imagine this is a run a risk the Shippensburg biotic community should take,” said Linda Asper, i of the town supervisors.

Parx is proposing edifice its satellite gambling casino within a former Lowe’s stock at 250 Conestoga Drive. The draft calls for 500 slot machines, 48 tabulate games, and sports bar.

Parx forecasts that Shippensburg Township would take in $741,000 each year from gaming revenue taxes earmarked for the host community. That’s to a greater extent than half of the municipality’s electric current yearly budget of $1.4 million.