CHAMPION, Pennsylvania — Despite numerous attempts to restructure its limited Category 3 gaming license application, Seven Springs Mountain Resort announced today that it is withdrawing its application after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board determined that the reworked proposal would not comply with the current requirements of the gaming regulations.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort’s gaming counsel and the Gaming Control Board worked together to find a rational solution to the conflict that arose when the Nutting family, a long-time family business from the region and investors in the Pittsburgh Pirates, purchased the resort in July. Major League Baseball regulations do not allow team investors to be involved in any form of gaming.

The resort went to great lengths to develop a common sense solution that was well within the Major League Baseball gaming guidelines by completely eliminating ownership’s interest in gaming at the resort, according to Scott Bender, Chief Executive Officer of Seven Springs. Despite alternative proposals, the current guidelines for gaming in Pennsylvania call for a Category 3 limited resort gaming license to be owned by the owner and operator of an established resort in which the limited gaming complex would be housed.

“The Gaming Control Board was very patient and worked diligently with us in our attempts to develop an acceptable proposal. Despite the best efforts of both parties, we were unable to reach a solution,” said Bender. “We owe a great deal of thanks and gratitude to our state legislators and the members and leaders of our community who supported us and our efforts with gaming during the last two years.”

Despite the decision, new ownership’s long-term vision of Seven Springs as a four-season family-friendly resort will make an even greater long-term economic impact on the region without limited gaming, said Robert Nutting, Chief Executive Officer of Ogden Newspapers.

“Our focus is to improve upon what Seven Springs Mountain Resort is: a four-season, family-friendly resort that is absolutely committed to excellence in customer service and its stewardship of the environment,” Nutting said. “We are committed to enhancing the resort experience with additional amenities and four-season attractions. A great example of this commitment is the new Superpipe and terrain park that will provide our guests with the premier snowboarding and extreme skiing experience in the East.”

Nutting announced last month that excavating has already begun on the new terrain park and “Superpipe” that will open in time for the upcoming winter season. To ensure the absolute best quality of the new attractions, Seven Springs has obtained the services of Planet Snow Design, the same design company that has been responsible for designing many of the industry’s top event venues such as the U.S. Open and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Superpipes. The resort has also purchased a second Zaugg grooming machine to allow for the extensive grooming of the new Superpipe, making it the only resort in the mid- Atlantic, and one of only two in the East, to make this significant investment to operate two Zaugg grooming machines.

“Seven Springs customers are looking for an active and amenity-rich resort experience,” Nutting explained. “With the continued investment into these types of essential improvements we will draw additional guests to the resort and ensure they return to the region again and again throughout the year. That will be the key element in the resort realizing its true potential as an employer and a year-round economic driver for the region.”

With approximately 1,500 full and part time employees, Seven Springs is already the largest private employer in both Somerset and Fayette counties, paying out more than $21 million in annual payroll and benefits. Ownership’s commitment to the resort’s long-term success as a four-season, family destination will enhance employment opportunities at the resort and provide long-term stability for the employees and the region.

Seven Springs has grown from a single tow rope in 1932 into the number one rated mountain resort in the mid-Atlantic region and Pennsylvania’s largest ski and four-season resort. Each year the resort hosts approximately 1.2 million overnight guests and visitors who visit the resort for skiing and snow sports during the winter season, an 18-hole mountain-top golf course during the spring, summer and fall, and vacation packages throughout the year. Seven Springs also hosts approximately 1,000 meetings, conferences and banquet groups per year.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort can accommodate more than 5,000 overnight guests in its 418-room, 10-story high-rise hotel, nearly 1,000 condominiums and town homes, five cabins and 20 chalets. The massive main lodge complex houses multiple restaurants, lounges, over 60,000 square feet of conference space, indoor miniature golf, swimming, a bowling center, arcades and more than a dozen specialty shops and boutiques. Other recreational pursuits that appeal to guests include sleigh rides, horseback riding, children’s programs, dining, hiking, biking and a variety of year-round recreational activities.

About Seven Springs Mountain Resort

Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located in Champion, Pa., is the state’s largest ski and four-season resort, and has recently been rated the top ski resort in the mid-Atlantic region for the 12th time by the readers of SKI magazine. Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington D.C., Seven Springs is easily accessible from either exit 91 or 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information on Seven Springs, visit www.7springs.com or call 1-800-452-2223.