The decision Thursday by the state Gaming Control Board to grant a casino license to a Pittsburgh-area resort - rather than one proposed a half-mile from Gettysburg National Military Park - was the second time a Gettysburg-area casino was rejected. It should be the last.
Despite promises of economic benefit, it would be a mistake to place slot machines and blackjack tables so close to a battlefield that's both hallowed ground and an iconic tourism destination.
Given the different audiences for a casino and the battlefield, it seemed unlikely that the casino would increase visitors to the historic attractions at Gettysburg.
Meanwhile, the business model of casinos is to keep customers at the gaming tables for as long as possible. That didn't hold out much potential for new trade at area restaurants and the like. As for luring out-of-state gamblers, those customers will have other outlets as gaming spreads.
The license-winning Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, southwest of Pittsburgh, certainly fits the bill as a resort casino, with its championship golf course, airstrip, hotel, and restaurants.
The fact that the gaming board took months to pick among many competitors for this license may have aided preservationists, since the community opposition that built during the long wait made the right ruling on a Gettysburg casino an even easier call.
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