Gambling in Las Vegas |
|
|
|
|
|
Gambling in Las Vegas
|
Pittsburghs South Side Supports Station Square CasinoAt a news conference yesterday, the South Side Local Development Company threw its support behind the bid by Forest City Enterprises to build a casino at Station Square. A South Side community group has decided that the best bet for Pittsburgh's slot machine casino is right in its back yard. The endorsement came in conjunction with an agreement reached between the developer and the nonprofit group under which Forest City pledged to provide money for community-related programs and initiatives. As part of a state tax credit program, Forest City would give $150,000 a year for 10 years to the South Side group for community project if it gets the casino license or $50,000 a year for five years if it doesn't. Before making its endorsements, the South Side group met with representatives from Forest City, which is partnering with Harrah's Entertainment, and from Isle of Capri, which is proposing a casino near Mellon Arena. It also received presentations from those two as well as from the third bidder, PITG Gaming LLC, which wants to build a casino near Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore. "I think it's pretty clear that the South Side (Local) Development Company is receiving an attractive incentive from Forest City in exchange for their endorsement. We continue to believe, as does the city's Gaming Task Force, the city Planning Department, and many others, that a casino along Carson Street would lead to a traffic gridlock nightmare scenario of unprecedented proportions for Pittsburgh," said Robert Oltmanns, a spokesman for Don Barden, head of PITG Gaming. |
|
|
|