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Casino Owners Stress Positive Impact on Local Economy
Penn National Gaming leaders say they'll bring lots of jobs, tax dollars
and many visitors to Central Ohio

January 26, 2010

Entertainment. Work for local contractors. Contributions to local organizations. Opportunities for local businesses. Help for those with gambling problems. These are a few of the things Penn National Gaming leaders have promised their casino will bring to Columbus.

Company President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Wilmott and Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Eric Schippers spoke at the Columbus Metropolitan Club on Wednesday, Jan. 20. They described the casino they plan to build here, as well as continued their efforts to convince Central Ohio residents it will be beneficial for the community.

Wilmott, Schippers and a video presentation at the Metro Club event spoke glowingly of the company's reputation. They noted Penn National has been one of Fortune's fastest-growing companies for the past six years and Forbes named it the country's best gaming company.

The casino will carry a Hollywood theme like that of Penn National's Lawrenceburg, Ind., casino. Plans call for it to be 300,000 square feet in size with 3,000 slot machines and 85 table games, as well as a poker room, steakhouse, buffet, sports club, food court, event lounge and VIP lounge.

"We anticipate, on average, 10,000 visitors a day to this facility," Wilmott said.

Hollywood is on the opposite side of the country from Columbus, but Penn National will look to incorporate iconic local elements, Schippers said. It also will turn to local businesses for opportunities within the casino and may set up kiosks for visitors with information and directions to other locations of note in Columbus.

"We're going to be doing cross-marketing and promotions with other local businesses," said Schippers.

Building the casino will generate about 3,500 construction jobs, and casino operations will bring in 2,000 full-time jobs, Wilmott said. The company expects about 90 percent of the jobs to go to local residents, he said.

The company projects its casino will generate $63.3 million in annual tax revenues for the city, Franklin County and the schools.

In addition, once a general manager is hired for the casino, there will be minimal involvement from corporate offices, he said.

Beyond tax revenue generated, the company will work with local nonprofits and charities to give back to the community as best it can, Schippers said.

"In addition to what our properties do, we have a corporate foundation ... and we supplement what our properties do in the community," he said.

Company officials pledged support to organized labor, which was instrumental in getting Issue 3 passed in November. That includes working with a variety of local contractors, rather than reusing the same ones over and over again.

"We are absolutely going to expand beyond lowest bidder," said Schippers.

The merits of casino gambling, Schippers said, were settled by state voters Nov. 3. But questions posited by some of attendees of the Jan. 20 luncheon showed that skepticism still exists in the community.

Chuck Hootman, owner of Tip Top Kitchen and part of the group that opposed the casino issue in November, questioned whether it would be fair for the casino to pursue a 24-hour liquor license. He said it would give the casino an unfair advantage over establishments like his.

He also called into question the company's job numbers, saying they have changed since its campaign.

While the casino will work to be a good corporate citizen, it must be competitive with casinos in surrounding states, Schippers said. The answer drove Hootman to question whether the company cares about other local businesses.

In response to a question from Don Eckhart about gambling addiction, Wilmott pointed out the company is part of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, an organization directed at fighting gambling addiction. He also said Penn will contribute to statewide programs to prevent such issues and employees are trained to spot problem gambling as best they can.

"It's a situation and concern that we take very seriously," said Wilmott.

Jim Rutledge asked whether Penn National was concerned its operations might threaten the local horse racing industry. Schippers responded that the company -- which owns a number of horse-racing facilities of its own -- will not stand in the racetracks' way and would not object to efforts on their part to expand their own gambling opportunities.

"We'd be supportive of expansion of gaming to the tracks if that's what comes to pass," Schippers said.

The Metro Club discussion came on the heels of a Jan. 19 announcement that Penn National will move its planned casino from the Arena District site approved by statewide voters to the site of the shuttered Delphi Plant on the West Side -- if enough voters OK a May ballot issue approving the switch.

The state legislature must act by Wednesday, Feb. 3, to get the issue on the May ballot, and efforts are going on now to make that happen.

In the meantime, Penn National is developing plans for both sites.

"If the voters say 'no,' then we go back to the Arena District and continue the development of that site," Wilmott said.