HARRISBURG -- Now slots players from central Pennsylvania have a place to go.

The $310 million Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course opened this morning after 15 months of construction.

The thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Grantville, 20 miles east of Harrisburg, is the sixth racino to open in Pennsylvania, and the seventh slots parlor overall, since expanded gambling was authorized by the Legislature in July 2004.

There are racetrack/casinos near Pittsburgh, Erie, Wilkes-Barre, Chester, and Bucks County, plus a non-track casino/hotel in the Poconos.

Unlike officials at most of the other slots parlors, Penn National officials decided not to open a temporary facility at their track but to build the permanent facility from scratch. It has a theme -- the golden age of Hollywood, with movies playing on large screens.

The casino opened with 2,000 slot machines but has capacity for 5,000, the maximum allowed by the law.

Gov. Ed Rendell had pushed for slots as a way of raising money to somewhat reduce property taxes in the state.

"We are certainly pleased that another facility has come on line,'' said Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo. "Given the track record of other casinos, we look forward to the property tax abatement fund growing even more quickly.

Mr. Rendell had originally predicted that when all 14 casinos allowed by law are open, there will be $1 billion a year in revenue produced for lowering property taxes. He now thinks there will be considerably more than $1 billion produced, but some of the five stand-alone casinos have met delays in opening, especially the two proposed for Philadelphia.