“Centaur felt our presence might be helpful at the meeting,” Commissioner Dan Vogler said. “We want everyone to know that local officials support the racetrack and casino.”

Gaming board sets three hearings

Valley View Downs will participate in one of three hearings scheduled for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board tomorrow.

Valley View and its parent company, Centaur Inc., are seeking a conditional slots license in order to preserve funding secured last fall.

The session, at 11 a.m. in the State Museum auditorium at 303 North St., Harrisburg, is open to the public.

Also before the board will be PITG Gaming, the Don Barden North Shore casino project in Pittsburgh. Construction there stopped June 30 because of financing concerns. Barden is expected to present his refinancing plan and may request board approval to delay some construction, including riverfront development and an amphitheater.

The third hearing will be the request of The Meadows in Washington County. Casino operators there are appealing the requirement that chairs be attached to slot machines.

According to Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the gaming control board, that regulation stems from a fire in a western casino. Fleeing patrons knocked chairs into the aisle, impeding the exit of others, he explained.

“This was a safety concern,” McGarvey said. “Pennsylvania and New Jersey now require that chairs be attached to slot machines.”

He said the attachment is key-activated and chairs may be detached if a handicapped patron, in his or her own chair, makes the request.