PITTSBURGH -- In December, the state Gaming Control Board awarded Pittsburgh's only slots license to PITG Gaming head Don Barden, setting the scene for a great change in the city.

Since that time, one big question has remained: Why did Barden's plan for a Majestic Star Casino win the license?

Many people thought the state would choose the Pittsburgh Penguins' partner, Isle of Capri Casinos, whose plan included the promise to pay for a $290 million arena that would replace Mellon Arena.

But the gaming board released a 77-page report Thursday, saying Majestic Star's North Shore location had a traffic advantage over Station Square Gaming, who wanted to build a casino near Station Square, and Isle of Capri, who proposed a site next to the arena in the Lower Hill District.

"Residential areas do not border the PITG site and, therefore, traffic entering or exiting the PITG Casino will not be traveling residential streets to nearly as large an extent as would occur with the (Lower Hill) site," the report said. "Further, access to the PITG site will be immediately off the West End Bridge and Route 65 and Reedsdale Street."

PITG has proposed some improvements for traffic flow that "will assist in easing congestion," according to the report.

Also, the board decided that casino traffic "typically would be spread out over a much longer period of time throughout the day" than the traffic at nearby Heinz Field, which comes "primarily on weekends during the fall" and "is largely confined to a defined period immediately before or after" a game.

The report also said PITG had a stronger casino design and more potential for making money and creating jobs.

A new arena was just one of many factors that went into the decision, and it was "not afforded special weight" under the provisions of the state's Race Horse Development and Gaming Act, the report said.

"During the final hearing, IOC devoted a substantial amount of time concentrating on the issue of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the proposed arena which the board believes detracted from what should have been the primary focus of the casino project," the report said. "... As a result, IOC did not fulfill its burden to the board's satisfaction of establishing by clear and convincing evidence that it had the best quality gaming facility in this competitive slot machine licensing environment."

Though IOC's bid failed, the city and state are pushing a "Plan B" for a new arena. Barden has pledged $7.5 million per year for 30 years toward that effort, which would require the Penguins to kick in some money too.

One of the drawbacks to the Station Square plan, according to the gaming board's report, was that it raised "concerns of severe traffic congestion given the limited access into that site along with evidence of already-existing severe congestion in that area."

"While Station Square Gaming promoted several roadway improvements to compliment the substantial public transportation available to the site, the board is unconvinced that the remedies proposed will be sufficient to offset the additional traffic which will occur in that area and the resulting increased congestion," the report said.

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Full Report:
Read It On The Gaming Board's Web Site

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