Finefrock and his law partner, Jim Nettleton Jr., have been the local public faces of the project, but the organization behind the proposal -- known as Pennsylvania Gaming Group LLP -- also includes investors from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California and Florida.
The group hopes to build a slots parlor with up to 5,000 slots machines at the Bulova Technologies Building and then move it to another, yet-to-be-named city location.
But a Feb. 2 ruling by the state's Gaming Control Board would mean the end of those hopes unless Pennsylvania Gaming Group makes an appeal today.
The group's submission did not even qualify as an application because it lacked a signed and executed bond covering the state's $50 million licensing fee, Gaming Control board members unanimously decided.
Pennsylvania Gaming Group supplied a faxed copy of an unsigned bond that did not list a bond company, officials said.
When notified they had not met the state's requirements, Gaming Group members faxed the state a copy of another unsigned bond, officials said.
The copy named a bond company but also included a letter from that company stating that the bond only would be executed with a letter of credit.
No such letter accompanied the application, officials have maintained.
Officials then notified Pennsylvania Gaming Group members their application would be thrown out because it still did not contain the proper documents.
Finefrock said his group sent the state a petition to withdraw the application at this point, but rescinded the petition the next day when news of the document was leaked to the media.
He has since repeatedly said Pennsylvania Gaming Group submitted a valid bond.
Finefrock said Thursday afternoon he was preparing a request for appeal to the state should his group decide to send it.
But according to state regulations, no documents that had not previously been submitted as part of the application will be permitted to become part of the appeal.
Pennsylvania Gaming Group also is scheduled to go before the city zoning hearing board March 6 to seek a special exception to operate slots machines at the Bulova Technologies Building.
The hearing originally was scheduled for Jan. 6 but was moved first to the February zoning hearing board's meeting and then to the board's March meeting.
If Pennsylvania Gaming Group does file an appeal, Finefrock said, the Gaming Control Board will consider it at the board's next public hearing, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. in the North Office Building of the Capital Complex in Harrisburg.
The group's submission did not even qualify as an application because it lacked a signed and executed bond covering the state's $50 million licensing fee.
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