Penguin fans were asked by the team CEO to support application for state casino license. Ken Sawyer, Penguins CEO spoke on Saturday in a rally that took place outside Mellon Arena. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League organized the rally together with a group created by the team fans called Slots for Mario.
The Penguins are bidding for a state casino license, together with Isle of Capri Casinos, a gambling firm from Mississippi. If their application would be approved by the state Gaming Control Board, Isle of Capri would give 290 million dollars for the Penguins new arena. The Penguins, Isle of Capri Casinos and Nationwide Realty Investors of Columbus, Ohio are called Pittsburgh First. Their casino building plan includes an 18,000-seat arena that will be located between Centre Avenue and Fifth Avenue, in addition to 28 acres of accommodations and restaurants instead of Mellon Arena. The group plans to invest more than 1 billion dollars at the project.
The state Gaming Control Board had already received four bids for casino building in Pittsburgh. If Pittsburg bid will be rejected by the state board, the Penguins will remain at Mellon Arena until 2007, when the lease expires.
