Penn National Gaming Names John Osborne General Manager of Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway in Bangor

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) announced today that effective immediately, John R. Osborne, 52, has been named General Manager of Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway in Bangor, subject to regulatory approval. Osborne fills the General Manager position at Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway that was most recently held by Jon Johnson, who was named the General Manager of Empress Casino Hotel in Joliet, Illinois on September 16. Penn National expects to appoint a new General Manager for its Tunica facility shortly.

John Osborne has held senior level management positions in the gaming industry starting in 1982 at the Claridge Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, which he left in late 1985 to join the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City where he served from early 1986 to 1994. From 1994 to 1998 Osborne was Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Finance & Administration at Hollywood Casino Tunica and he was appointed Vice President of Operations and General Manager of the facility in 1998. In his new role, John Osborne will be responsible for all facets of operations at Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway.

John Finamore, Senior Vice President Regional Operations of Penn National Gaming, commented, "John is a veteran of the regional gaming industry, having served in both financial and operating positions at Hollywood Casino Tunica since its opening in 1994. He also held financial management positions in the Atlantic City market in its earliest years. John’s background and perspective on developing gaming entertainment facilities in new markets, combined with his strong financial background, will be important assets as we build upon the initial success of Bangor’s Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway. In addition to his financial management and operating skills, John has also been very active in community affairs and we expect him to further develop the strong relationships that Jon Johnson established in Bangor and throughout Maine.”

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.

In addition to historical facts or statements of current conditions, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current expectations and beliefs but are not guarantees of future performance. As such actual results may vary materially from expectations. Meaningful factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations are disclosed in the Company’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. The Company does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by law.