Who is Penn National Gaming?
By Katie Green
It’s been a little over a year since Penn National Gaming, based out of Wyomissing, Pa., Pinnacle Entertainment, and consequently, ownership of The Meadows Racetrack and Casino. You might be wondering, just who is Penn National?
The company was founded in 1972 as the owner and operator of a single thoroughbred racetrack just outside of Harrisburg. “Today, through steady growth and disciplined acquisitions, we’ve grown into the nation’s largest regional gaming operator with 41 casinos and racetracks in 19 states across the country,” says Eric Schippers, Penn National’s senior vice president of public affairs.
With that range of properties across the country, the customer-loyalty benefits are bare none, and include properties such as the Tropicana Las Vegas and M Resort, also in Las Vegas. That network includes 18 jurisdictions and approximately 49,400 gaming machines, 1,200 table games and 8,800 hotel rooms.
Just as there’s a benefit to guests with this merger, there’s also a benefit to Penn National.
“We’re proud to add the Meadows to our portfolio of properties,” Schippers says. “As a Pennsylvania company, we’ve long admired the historic racetrack and are excited to be operating in the Pittsburgh market.”
Penn National will continue giving back to the community through its Penn National Gaming Foundation, which is a 501©3 non-profit that was formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to assist with its nearly 2,000 employees who were impacted by the historic storm. It awarded more than $1.4 million in grants for immediate needs like food, water, clothing, shelter and medicine.
“Penn National Gaming is committed to being a good corporate citizen in each of the communities in which it operates,” Schippers says. “The Penn National Gaming Foundation is proud to support numerous local non-profit organizations in the communities in which Penn National operates, focusing on projects that promote community development, education, human services, cultural affairs and diversity and health services.”
Next up for Penn National?
“Our continued focus over the next year is on integrating our acquisition of Pinnacle,” Schippers says. “In Pennsylvania, we’ll also be launching online casino games and will be constructing two satellite casinos in Morgantown, W.Va., and York, Pa.”