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Penn National Gaming pitching Tewksbury slot parlor

After being nudged out of the competition for a resort casino license in Springfield, Penn National Gaming is pitching a new plan north of Boston, in Tewksbury, to compete for the state’s sole slot parlor license, a company spokesman said.

Penn is talking with Tewksbury officials about developing a slot parlor under the company’s Hollywood Casino brand name on a 30 acre site at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Route 133.

The more than $200 million project would include as many as 1,250 slot machines, as well as “multiple dining options and other amenities,” according to a Penn National spokesman.

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Penn would join four other applicants seeking the slots license: Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville; Raynham Park; The Cordish Companies, which recently proposed building in Leominster; and Rush Street Gaming, which is pursuing a slots project in Millbury.

At the moment, only Plainridge and Raynham have negotiated and signed deals with their host communities, a necessary step under the law before the project can move to a mandatory referendum vote. To meet deadlines set by the state gambling commission, the other firms need to strike deals with their host communities within the next several weeks.

The 2011 state casino law authorized up to three resort style casinos, no more than one in each of three regions of the state, and one slot parlor that may be built anywhere.

Penn originally pursued a resort casino in downtown Springfield, but faced competition within the city from a rival MGM project. The city held its own competition, eliminating Penn in April.


Mark Arsenault can be reached at marsenault@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @bostonglobemark