Wind Creek Gets Pennsylvania Sports Betting Permit

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday approved a sports betting operator license for Wind Creek Hospitality.

The license authorizes the casino and hospitality company to conduct retail and mobile sports betting activities in Pennsylvania.

Wind Creek revealed plans to build a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at its Wind Creek Bethlehem casino and to launch an online and mobile sportsbook that will be available statewide.

The casino operator will be offering sports betting through its partnership with Betfred USA, the US division of British bookmaker Betfred.

Now as it has secured the necessary regulatory approval, Wind Creek said it hopes to begin construction on its retail sportsbook around mid-August and to open it by the second half of November.

The facility is set to be built at the current location of Buddy V’s Restorante. The dining outlet will continue to provide food and beverage offerings to the casino and its sportsbook once the latter opens doors.

The betting facility will feature 79 TVs, 13 self-service betting kiosks, eight cashiers/ticket writers, and four supervisors.

It also became known that Wind Creek plans to launch online and mobile betting ahead of the opening of its physical facility. However, it is still unknown when a digital betting product will be rolled out.

When launched, the Betfred-run site and app will be powered by Scientific Games’ sports betting platform.

A Beautiful Space

Wind Creek Bethlehem Executive Vice President and General Manager Kathy McCracken said that their sportsbook is “going to be a beautiful space” and that it has been something they felt the property needed – “an area where you could really watch sports, and now we’ll have the betting on top of it.”

Wind Creek Hospitality purchased its Bethlehem casino last May from Las Vegas Sands in a $1.3 billion deal.

Aside from the addition of a sportsbook, the Alabama-based gaming and hospitality company plans more improvements and expansions for the gaming complex.

Wind Creek said previously that it would build a 270-room hotel that would be attached to Wind Creek Bethlehem’s existing 282-room hotel. The company plans to invest around $100 million to develop the facility.

Wind Creek Vice President of Business Development Arthur Mothershed said that initial groundbreaking for the hotel was delayed due to the closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Wind Creek Bethlehem has been closed since mid-March.

Despite the initial delays, Mr. Mothershed said that they still believe they will be able to complete construction within the original 36-month window announced last year after Wind Creek closed the acquisition of the casino complex.

Other plans include transformation of the old Bethlehem Steel No. 2 Machine Shop into a $250 million indoor water park and entertainment complex.

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