Articles

Gettysburg casino causes controversy

A casino development, which has been planned for the site of the Gettysburg battlefield, has caused considerable upset.

Plans are currently afoot to build a $300 million casino development, which would include a luxury spa, 224-room hotel and also a smart new casino facility.

However, the proposed development suffered a setback on Tuesday when the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) named Gettysburg as one of the nation's most endangered battlefields.

Ben Stein, CWPT member, said: "These battlefields are places where people died in excruciating agony.

"For us to neglect them now and say it's just as meaningful to put up a casino where people put dimes in slot machines…these battlefields are not just important, they're sacred."

Head of the No Casino Gettysburg organization, Susan Paddock, echoed these sentiments saying the 3,000-slot casino would be "absolutely disrespectful".

However, David LeVan, CEO of Crossroads, one of the casino's main investors, was skeptical of the recent developments.

He said: "It is amazing how the Gettysburg Battlefield has gone from not even being on the Trust's list of 25 most endangered battlefields to the top of the list overnight, even though our resort has been a subject of debate and discussion for nearly a year."