Thanks to the “Tomato King” It Appears Fourth Pennsylvania Racetrack is a Go

Philadelphia tomato magnate Joe Procacci has taken the lead on building a casino and harness racetrack in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania and his role in the process means that the long stalled process is likely to become a reality.

Procacci, who is 88, appeared before the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission on Thursday and announced that he had reached an agreement to buy out Endeka Entertainment, a group that had held the license to build a racetrack and casino in the area but seemed to have lost interest in doing so.

According to Procacci’s lawyer John O’Riordan, Procacci and a group he is affiliated with, Merit Gaming, have taken over as the majority partner in the project and now own 90 percent of the future casino and racetrack. The remaining 10 percent is owned by American Harness Tracks.