Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.Approximately 90 minutes from New York City, the Sands Bethlehem Hotel & Casino stands not far from the border of Northeast Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey. Sands Bethlehem President Brian Carr said the pending sale would have no impact on casino operations. The deal requires approval from Pennsylvania gambling regulators, a process that could take a year.

Stephanie Bryan, tribal chair and CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, said the purchase will help “secure a long and prosperous future for our tribe.” The buyer is Wind Creek Hospitality, an affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, whose properties include casinos in Alabama and the Caribbean, a greyhound track in Alabama and poker rooms in Florida.

Sands, which had long been rumored to be seeking a buyer for Bethlehem, did not immediately reveal what it planned to do with the proceeds but said the sale would “enhance liquidity as Sands pursues new development opportunities and returns capital to shareholders.” Though it raked in nearly $550 million from slot machines and table games last year - second among Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos - the casino is the smallest in Sands’ portfolio, which includes The Venetian in Las Vegas and resorts in Macau and Singapore. “Sands Bethlehem has become one of the leading regional entertainment and gaming destinations in the United States and we are extremely proud of the positive contributions the property has made for Bethlehem … and eastern Pennsylvania,” Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire mogul who leads Sands, said in a statement. Sands later added a shopping mall, performing arts venue and 300-room hotel. Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened in 2009 on the site of Bethlehem Steel’s former headquarters plant, transforming what was then the nation’s largest abandoned industrial complex into an $800 million destination that lured gamblers from New York and New Jersey. is selling its Pennsylvania casino to an American Indian tribe from Alabama for $1.3 billion, the company announced Thursday. is selling its Bethlehem casino to Wind Creek Hospitality, an affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians based in Alabama in a $1.3 billion deal announced Thursday, March 8, 2018. Photo shows Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pa.

Pennsylvania sands casino