- Parx Casino in Shippensburg will officially open its doors to the public on February 3, 2023.
- The Category 4 casino will feature 500 slot machines, 48 electronic table games, and a high-class sports bar and restaurant.
- It is tethered to the Parx Casino in Bensalem which is the state’s top revenue-generating gaming property in Pennsylvania.
Parx Casino Shippensburg will finally open its doors to the public on February 3, 2023.
Parx Casino in Shippensburg Township sets opening date in Februaryhttps://t.co/XAp2NoITyJ
— The Sentinel (@cumberlink) January 12, 2023
The Category 4 casino was supposed to launch late last year but its debut was pushed back after experiencing construction delays and supply chain issues.
It will be the first casino in Cumberland County and the 4th Category 4 casino in the state, joining similar properties in York County, Westmoreland County, and Lawrence County. Once it opens, it will also add to Pennsylvania’s current 16 brick-and-mortar casinos, 5 truck stops that house video gaming terminals (VGTs), 19 gaming websites, 19 retail sportsbooks, and 14 online sports betting operators.
Parx Casino Shippensburg
The 73,0000 square foot casino broke ground on February 2022 at 250 Conestoga Drive in Conestoga Drive in Shippensburg Township. It will occupy half of the 139,410-square-foot former Lowe’s building. Its license holder is GW Cumberland Op Co. which is a company owned by the parent company of Parx Casino and which conducts business as Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment.
Upon its completion, the $65 million project will feature 500 slot machines, 48 electronic table games, and a high-class sports bar and restaurant that can accommodate 100 customers. Officials say that the casino will create 100 permanent and 100 temporary jobs.
As a Category 4 casino, Parx Casino Shippensburg is tethered to a larger Category 2 casino license holder. Since it is a satellite casino, it can only have 300-750 slot machines and a maximum of 30 table games. These mini-casinos are not allowed to be within 25 miles of existing casinos.
2017 Gambling Expansion
During the 2017 Gambling Expansion in the state, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board auctioned rights to establish mini-casinos to companies who already have a flagship property in the state. For Parx Casino Shippensburg, its primary casino is the Parx Casino in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of Philadelphia. The Bensalem Township casino is Philadelphia’s top-performing casino as far as revenues are concerned.
Parx Casino won the 2018 Auction Round with an $8.1 million bid for a satellite location. Meanwhile, two proposed casinos in Carlisle Borough and South Middleton Township did not push through because their respective municipalities exercised the “Municipality opt-out clause” after initially allowing the establishment of mini-casinos.
Meanwhile, Shippensburg Township did not use the opt-out clause and allowed casinos to be built on its commercial districts using a conditional-use ordinance. Parx Casino Shippensburg’s application was approved in January 2021 after meeting the zoning ordinance requirements and construction began the following month.
Parx Casino in Bensalem
Located at 2999 Street Road in Bensalem Township and just 20 minutes north of the center of Philadelphia, Parx Casino is a 260,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment destination. It features more than 3,320 slot machines and 188 table games including craps, roulette, poker, and baccarat. It also has a 48-table poker room that hosts tournaments and high-stakes showdowns.
Adjacent to the casino is the 280,000 square foot Parx East, a thoroughbred horse racing venue that holds live horse racing every Saturday through Tuesday. Live thoroughbred horse races start every 12:25 pm on the mentioned days.
Parx Casino’s dining options range from fast food to fine dining. Guests who want upscale dining can enjoy meals at Parxgrill or they can enjoy farm-to-fork dishes at Liberty Bell Gastropub. Meanwhile, Oliveto serves New York-style pizza and Italian food while Bambu Noodle House boasts Asian cuisine. The beer garden’s menu includes burgers, wings, poutine, and pizza while Foodies has a wide array of grab-and-go food.
