Penn National Gaming Response to Associated Press Story

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq:PENN) today issued the following statement in response to an Associated Press story published on September 1, 2009:

"Though Penn National Gaming’s practice is to refrain from commenting on media speculation regarding its activities in any jurisdiction, the Company, as owner of Raceway Park in Toledo, feels compelled to categorically deny statements made in an Associated Press story titled "Filing shows Penn against Ohio slots” which ran this afternoon (September 1, 2009).

"Penn National fully supports the authorization of video lottery terminals at Raceway Park in Toledo. The Company maintains that statements contained in an affidavit filed by the Intervenor-Respondents today and referenced in the published report are patently false and potentially libelous and intends to pursue any and all legal remedies available to it.”

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.