The state passed a gambling expansion to allow up to 10 mini casinos to be built across the commonwealth.

With its close proximity to 1-99 and places like Altoona and State College, Tyrone could be a potential landing spot. However,  borough council says they need more time to weigh all the pros and cons of having a casino come to town.

Municipalities across the state are being asked to vote on whether or not they would welcome a mini casino into their area. For Tyrone Borough Councilman David Snyder, there are a lot of factors to consider before making a decision. 

He said, “To say that we want a casino in downtown Tyrone, well, where are we going to put it? You know, a lot of our store fronts are now occupied which is a good thing. Businesses are moving into Tyrone now and a lot of our land has already been developed.”

Snyder says council was given information from the state last week and was asked to vote on it on Monday.  Council decided to draft an ordinance to “opt-out” of having a casino, and tabled the vote until the next meeting.

For Snyder, that gives council more time to weigh the impact a casino would have on small businesses in town.

He explained, “We could in theory have an influx of people coming into the borough but again the concern is, are they going to be going into the businesses of the borough? Or, are they just going into the casino? Now, the government will receive an extra revenue stream due to tax income. But wil the money go to anyone else?

Tyrone resident David Lyman says his previous home of Springfield, Massachusetts is dealing with a smiler situation and doesn’t like what he’s seen.

He said, “They are building a casino there now and it’s busy. Traffic is terrible.”

Lyman says he wouldn’t want to see the same thing happen to Tyrone. He explained, “It’s a bad idea. Obviosuly there are some positives to that, but to me there are more negatives.”

Council will meet Monday, December 11 to vote on whether or not to “opt out” of having a casino. Councilman Snyder says that he will be taking resident thoughts and ideas into account. He hosts a live stream on his Facebook page and will incorporate a poll for the next one on Tuesday, November 21.