Penn National Expands Its Slots Proposal

Penn National Gaming has formally expanded its proposal for a slots parlor in Cecil County to include 1,500 machines, up from the 500 the company initially proposed.

Eric Schippers, a Penn National vice president, said the company submitted its revised plans and an additional $6 million licensing fee to a state commission Friday. The new bid is short of the 2,500 machines that were authorized by the state.

The commission could award a license to Penn National by the end of the month. If so, Schippers said, the casino could open by late next year.

The commission has awarded one of five licenses authorized last year by voters, for 800 machines to the owner of the Ocean Downs racetrack on the Eastern Shore. That facility is seeking to open its slots parlor by Memorial Day.

The two largest proposed slots sites -- 4,750 machines in Anne Arundel County and 3,750 machines in Baltimore -- face additional obstacles that make state approval further away.