LeVans proposal of building 42-acre casino-hotel resort near Gettysburg battlefield is going to discussed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The casino resort would be located over a mile from the battlefields boundary, and it would include 3,000 slot machines, a hotel, a spa, and a theater, among other facilities. Pennsylvania legislature legalized slots gambling last year. Up until now, three slots casinos have been authorized, two of them in Philadelphia and another one in Pittsburgh. Two more are to be authorized but locations are pending on the Boards decision. LeVans proposal is one of those.
The opponents to LeVans plan say the making of Gettysburg a little Las Vegas center will hurt current tourism and spoil the existing family atmosphere and respectful approach to the place. They also say that that site is already highly profitable and does not need any economic boost, especially that coming from gambling, which would only decrease existing benefits. Gettysburg attracts over 1.5 million visitors every year, altogether spending over 120 million dollars on gifts, food, and accommodation. As for employment, the site provides over 2.500 jobs for residents of the area. In his turn, LeVan said that the casino will create around 800 jobs and generate generous revenues of millions of dollars for local taxes, thus, increasing the welfare and economic situation of those communities.
A survey carried out the weekend of the July 4 Independence Day reports that over 50 percent of tourists would not return to Gettysburg if a casino were built. Values, national pride, and emotions are driven out when talking about the hypothetical building of a casino in Gettysburg. This might influence the Board decision. Besides, one of the attractions of Gettysburg battlefield, apart from the historical value of the site, and the emotional links of tourists with the place, is the perfectly kept natural surroundings, which surely looked pretty much like the ones of July 1863.
