Isle of Capri Casinos wants to build a temporary slots parlor on a parking lot near Mellon Arena if the company gets a state license to operate the casino. Isle of Capri is one of three companies vying for a slots license in Pittsburgh, and is the only bidder that has promised to build the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Isle of Capri is one of three companies vying for a slots license in Pittsburgh, and is the only bidder that has promised to build the Pittsburgh Penguins a new USD 290 million arena -at no cost to the team or taxpayers – if it gets the license. But until that arena is built as part of the casino complex, Isle of Capri would need a temporary location for the casino.

The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority was expected to vote Thursday on a lease agreement that would let Isle of Capri build the temporary casino on a parking lot above the Penguins’ current home, Mellon Arena, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday.

Isle of Capri would pay USD 1.3 million a year for up to two years for the site. The authority now gets about USD 280,000 a year in parking revenue from the lot.