Mohegan Suns set to open November 14th!

The first money from the state's slot machine industry rolled in to a state bank account Friday, state officials said.

The Pocono Downs at Mohegan Sun racetrack paid the $50 million fee for the slot machine gambling license it was awarded, less than two weeks before it is expected to be the first slots parlor open for business in Pennsylvania, officials

State officials could not immediately say Friday how the money would be spent, although Revenue Department spokesman Steve Kniley noted that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board owes the state $36 million it has borrowed for its operations.

The racetrack, just outside Wilkes-Barre, is expected to open its 24-hour slots parlor on Nov. 14.

The board has awarded six conditional slots licenses to racetracks, including Pocono Downs, and plans to vote Dec. 20 to permanently award 12 slots licenses. Twenty groups, including Donald Trump's casino company and Las Vegas Sands, have applied for slots licenses, although only five of the 12 licenses are being contested by multiple applicants.

No applications are pending for the other two licenses that the board is authorized to award. The 2004 slots law legalized up to 61,000 machines at 14 sites, potentially making Pennsylvania one of the nation's biggest slots states.