MTR Gaming Group Comments on Pennsylvania Supreme Court Ruling; Impact on Opening of Presque Isle Downs.Expect to Open Facility By End of February CHESTER, W. Va. & ERIE, Pa. -- MTR Gaming Group MTR Gaming Group Inc. NASDAQ: MNTG is a hospitality company based in Chester, West Virginia. The company holds, mostly through several subsidiaries, hotels, casinos and sports facilities. , Inc. (NasdaqGS: MNTG) commented today on the decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court granting the motions of its wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. , Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and thoroughbred racetrack complex in Erie, Pennsylvania. The owner, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for its new racino, which opened on February 28, 2007. It contains 2,000 slot machines. , Inc., for expedited consideration and summary relief to quash a Petition for Review of the Order of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is a Pennsylvania state governmental agency that was founded in 2004 as the state licensing and regulatory agency responsible for overseeing the slots casino industry. approving Presque Isle Downs for a license to operate slot machines. The petition had been filed by Citizens Against Gambling Subsidies, Inc., a recently formed non-profit Pennsylvania Corporation, and Paul F. Curry, a former City Solicitor of Erie. Edson R. "Ted" Arneault, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of MTR Gaming Group, said, "Obviously, we are pleased with the Court's ruling and grateful for the Court's quick action. We believed that the petition was frivolous because Mr. Curry and his organization lacked standing and because the substantive allegations lacked merit. We intend to seek redress for the damages the petition caused." Having cleared the legal hurdle, Presque Isle Downs and the Gaming Control Board Gaming Control Board or "GCB" is a governmental body or agency charged with regulating casino and other types of gaming in a defined geographical area, usually a state, and of enforcing gaming law in general. may now proceed to open the facility. The Company is ready to open the casino and restaurants to the public: construction of the casino is complete, the necessary liquor and restaurant licenses and permits have been issued, nearly all of the 2,000 slot machines are connected to the State's central monitoring system, approximately 650 employees have been trained, and the food and beverage F&B is a common abbreviation in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Hong Kong. F&B is typically the widely accepted abbreviation for "Food and Beverage," which is the sector/industry that specializes in the conceptualization, the making of, and delivery of foods. outlets are serving hot meals. "Indeed," Arneault explained, "we have been advised by regulatory personnel that we are 'ahead of the curve' operationally, for which we are proud of our employees and pre-opening team." Despite the Court's expedited consideration, however, there is simply insufficient time for the Gaming Control Board to conduct all of its pre-opening procedures and inspections and oversee the two required test/charity dates prior to the planned February 15 opening. Additionally, the Gaming Control Board currently lacks the requisite members to approve the order to open the casino. The newly appointed member, a legislative appointee who was appointed January 29, 2007, awaits completion (a maximum of 30 days by law) of the statutorily required State Police criminal background check before he can formally join the Board. All four legislative appointees must be on the Board before it can give the final approval to open the casino. Although the Gaming Control Board had the requisite members between the December 20, 2006 approval of Presque Isle Downs' permanent Category 1 Slot Machine Operators License and the December 27 departure of a Board member, the Company understands that the Control Board could not issue the necessary orders during that window because of the pendency Pend´en`cy n. 1. The quality or state of being pendent or suspended. 2. The quality or state of being undecided, or in continuance; suspense; as, the pendency of a suit s>. of Mr. Curry's petition. Arneault continued: "We know that our employees and would be patrons are frustrated by the delay and that the community is anxious for the entertainment that Presque Isle Downs will provide. We at MTR MTR Motor MTR Meter MTR Mass Transit Railway MTR Mountaintop Removal (coal mining method) MTR Mid-Term Review MTR Mortar MTR Museum of Television and Radio MTR Magnetization Transfer Ratio Gaming have been looking forward to this day for more than five and one-half years since we filed our application for a racing license in 2001. We have defended each legal challenge against our racing license and now our slots license through the State Supreme Court. Agents of the Gaming Control Board are on site performing their pre-opening procedures and we are working closely with them every day to open our facility as soon as possible after the confirmation of the final Board member. We hope to open before the end of this month." About MTR Gaming Group MTR Gaming Group, Inc., through subsidiaries, owns and operates the Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia Chester is a city in Hancock County, West Virginia along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,592 at the 2000 census. Chester was established in 1896, but not incorporated until 1907. The city is named for J. ; Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio; the Ramada ra·ma·da n. Southwestern U.S. 1. a. An open or semienclosed shelter roofed with brush or branches, designed especially to provide shade. b. An open porch or breezeway. 2. Inn and Speedway Casino in North Las Vegas, Nevada North Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 115,488, with a Census Bureau estimate of 197,567 as of 2006, and a Clark County estimate of 202,520 as of July 1, 2006 [2]. ; Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Presque Isle Downs, a thoroughbred racetrack with pari-mutuel wagering and slot machine gaming in Erie, Pennsylvania, which it intends to open as soon as possible upon final approval of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The Company also owns a 90% interest in Jackson Trotting Association, LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , which operates Jackson Harness Raceway in Jackson, Michigan. Additionally, MTR owns a 50% interest in the North Metro Harness Initiative, LLC, which has a license to construct and operate a harness racetrack 30 miles north of downtown Minneapolis. The Mountaineer facility, the Company's primary source of revenues, currently encompasses a thoroughbred racetrack with off-track betting and export simulcasting, 3,220 slot machines, 359 hotel rooms, golf course, spa & fitness center, theater and events center, convention center and fine dining and entertainment. MTR is included on the Russell 2000[R] and Russell[R] 3000 Indexes. For more information, please visit www.mtrgaming.com. Except for historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning, among other things, the opening date for Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the statements made to be incorrect and/or for actual results to differ materially. Those risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the timely confirmation of the final member of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Control Board's authorization for Presque Isle Downs to commence slot operations, and other factors described in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. The cautionary advice in this paragraph is permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. |
|
||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion