Buyers of Sands Bethlehem casino plan $190M in development

BETHLEHEM (AP) — An Alabama company that’s buying Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Pennsylvania casino for $1.3 billion says it plans to build a second hotel and possibly a water park on the property.

Wind Creek Hospitality said Tuesday it plans to invest $190 million in Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, which opened in 2009 on the site of Bethlehem Steel’s former headquarters plant. Company executives tell The (Allentown) Morning Call they hope to begin construction as soon as the deal closes later this year.

Wind Creek says it’s still considering ideas for the abandoned, 1,500-foot long No. 2 Machine Shop, once one of the largest industrial buildings in the world. Officials say a water park is under consideration.

The sale was announced last March. It’s still under review by state gambling regulators.