Kansas Entertainment, LLC, ("Kansas Entertainment”) a 50/50 joint
venture of Penn Hollywood Kansas, Inc, a subsidiary of Penn National
Gaming, Inc. (PENN: Nasdaq) and Kansas Speedway Development Corporation,
a wholly owned subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISCA:
Nasdaq Global Select Market; ISCB: OTC Bulletin Board) ("ISC”), today
announced that it has received the final approval under the Kansas
Expanded Lottery Act along with its gaming license from the Kansas
Racing and Gaming Commission to proceed with the development of the
Hollywood-themed destination casino overlooking Turn 2 at Kansas
Speedway. In 2009 the Unified Government of Kansas City and Wyandotte
County endorsed the project and Kansas Entertainment, which successfully
negotiated a management agreement with the Kansas Lottery Commission.
That agreement was subsequently approved by the Lottery Gaming Facility
Review Board. Kansas Entertainment plans to begin construction of the
facility early in the second half of 2010 with a planned opening in the
first half of 2012.
Peter M. Carlino, Chief Executive Officer of Penn National commented,
"Today’s approval formally cements our role in the Wyandotte County
community and we are excited to begin working alongside our partner,
International Speedway Corporation, and with local businesses to
construct a distinctive, first-class entertainment facility and
destination resort. Kansas Entertainment is committed to the long-term
economic growth of Wyandotte County and the state of Kansas and we
believe the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will be a growth engine
bringing over 1,700 construction jobs, over 1,000 full time jobs and
significant additional economic benefits to the Kansas City region.
"We are grateful to the Unified Government of Kansas City and Wyandotte
County, the Kansas Lottery Commission, the Lottery Gaming Facility
Review Board and the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, for their
assistance and their support of our plans as we embark on the creation
of Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway,” said Lesa France Kennedy,
International Speedway Corporation Chief Executive Officer.
"International Speedway Corporation is also excited to partner with Penn
National Gaming on a project that will elevate the status of Kansas
Speedway to a world-class sports, entertainment and leisure destination.
In addition, we believe our partnership with Penn National will result
in a property that drives increased tourism and tax revenue for the
local community and further improves the scope of our business. The
casino is just a starting point of all the good things to come as we
fulfill our commitment to seek a second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race,
build a road course and host a Grand-Am race and allocate one percent of
the casino’s revenue in support of the various organizations that make
up the fabric of our community.”
The $386 million phase one development of Hollywood Casino at Kansas
Speedway includes a 100,000-square-foot casino floor with capacity for
2,300 slot machines and 86 table games, a high-energy lounge and a
variety of dining and entertainment options. Kansas Entertainment’s
plans include additional phases, which will bring a hotel, expanded
gaming space, a spa, convention center and an entertainment retail
district to Kansas Speedway, pending market demands. Pursuant to the
terms of the joint venture, Kansas Speedway Development Corporation
contributed 101 acres at Kansas Speedway for the development of the new
facility. Penn National Gaming and International Speedway Corporation
will equally share the full project development costs.
About Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming owns and operates gaming and racing facilities with
a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company presently operates
nineteen facilities in fifteen jurisdictions, including Colorado,
Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi,
Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and
Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National’s operated facilities feature over
26,300 gaming machines, approximately 400 table games, over 2,000 hotel
rooms and over 959,000 square feet of gaming floor space.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual
results may vary materially from expectations. Although Penn National
Gaming, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively "Penn National”) believe
that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions within the
bounds of our knowledge of our business and operations, there can be no
assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our
expectations. Meaningful factors that could cause Penn National’s actual
results to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to,
risks related to the following: our ability to maintain regulatory
approvals for our existing businesses and to receive regulatory
approvals for our new businesses; the passage of state, federal or local
legislation that would expand, restrict, further tax, prevent or
negatively impact operations (such as a smoking ban at any of our
facilities) in the jurisdictions in which we do business or seek to do
business; the activities of our competitors and the emergence of new
competitors; construction factors, including delays and increased cost
of labor and materials; the costs and risks involved in the pursuit of
those development opportunities; the availability and cost of financing;
the effects of local and national economic, credit, capital market,
housing, energy conditions on the economy in general and on the gaming
and lodging industries in particular; and other factors as discussed in
Penn National’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2008, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports
on Form 8-K as filed with the SEC. Penn National does not intend to
update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by law.
About International Speedway Corporation
International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports
activities, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as
well as numerous other motorsports-related activities. The Company owns
and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment
facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida (home
of the Daytona 500®); Talladega Superspeedway® in Alabama; Michigan
International Speedway® located outside Detroit; Richmond International
Raceway® in Virginia; Auto Club Speedway of Southern CaliforniaSM
near Los Angeles; Kansas Speedway® in Kansas City, Kansas; Phoenix
International Raceway® in Arizona; Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66
RacewaySM near Chicago, Illinois; Homestead-Miami SpeedwaySM
in Florida; Martinsville Speedway® in Virginia; Darlington Raceway® in
South Carolina; and Watkins Glen International® in New York. In
addition, ISC promotes major motorsports activities in Montreal, Quebec,
through its wholly owned subsidiary, Stock-Car Montreal.
The Company also owns and operates MRN® Radio, the nation's largest
independent sports radio network; the Daytona 500 ExperienceSM,
the "Ultimate Motorsports Attraction” in Daytona Beach, Florida, and
official attraction of NASCAR®; and Americrown Service CorporationSM,
a subsidiary that provides catering services, food and beverage
concessions, and produces and markets motorsports-related merchandise.
In addition, ISC has an indirect 50 percent interest in Motorsports
Authentics®, which markets and distributes motorsports-related
merchandise licensed by certain competitors in NASCAR racing. For more
information, visit the Company's Web site at www.iscmotorsports.com.
Statements made in this release that express International Speedway
Corporation’s or management's beliefs or expectations and which are not
historical facts or which are applied prospectively are forward-looking
statements. It is important to note that International Speedway’s actual
results could differ materially from those contained in or implied by
such forward-looking statements. International Speedway’s results could
be impacted by risk factors, including, but not limited to, weather
surrounding racing events, government regulations, economic conditions,
consumer and corporate spending, military actions, air travel and
national or local catastrophic events. Additional information concerning
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in
International Speedway’s SEC filings including, but not limited to, the
10-K and subsequent 10-Qs. Copies of those filings are available from
International Speedway Corporation and the SEC. International Speedway
Corporation undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions
to these forward-looking statements that may be needed to reflect events
or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. The inclusion of any statement in this release
does not constitute an admission by International Speedway or any other
person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are
material.