Penn National Names VP and Chief Compliance Officer

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. October 14, 2008

MARCH 14, 2007. John deGrasse Appointed Vice President, Legal Affairs at Penn National Race Course to Prepare for Transformation to an Integrated Racing and Gaming Facility

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) announced today that former Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, Thomas N. Auriemma, 57, has been named Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. The appointment, effective March 19, is consistent with Penn National's strategy of attracting proven gaming industry professionals to support its plans for long-term growth.

Penn National also reported that John deGrasse, who has served since 2003 as Director, Regulatory Affairs, has been appointed Vice President, Legal Affairs at Penn National Race Course, a new position at the Company. Penn National is currently developing the integrated Hollywood Casino racing and gaming facility at Penn National Race Course which it expects to open in the first quarter of 2008. Both appointments are being made subject to any required regulatory approvals.

At Penn National Gaming, Mr. Auriemma will oversee all aspects of compliance and will act as the Company's primary liaison with regulators in all of the jurisdictions where the Company operates or seeks to operate. He will be based at Penn National's corporate offices in Wyomissing, PA and will report directly to Penn National Gaming Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Jordan Savitch and the Company's Compliance Committee.

Mr. Auriemma brings 28 years of experience as a casino regulator to Penn National, having served since 2002 as Director, of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, with principal responsibility for enforcing the New Jersey Casino Control Act and drafting and implementing revisions and updates to the state's gaming laws. In this capacity, Mr. Auriemma supervised the day-to-day investigative, legal and administrative operations of a 370-person agency and gaming laboratory with a $43 million annual budget. Until his appointment as Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, Mr. Auriemma served as Deputy Director of the agency for over ten years. He also served for five years as the Deputy Director for Legal Affairs for the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and for three years as Senior Assistant Counsel where he was directly involved in the formation of the Commission as the chief regulatory agency created under the New Jersey Casino Control Act. Mr. Auriemma also served two years as a Deputy Attorney General with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office Division of Criminal Justice.

John deGrasse brings a distinguished career in law and regulatory oversight as well as relevant corporate experience to his new position as Vice President, Legal Affairs at Penn National Race Course. From 1989 to 1993 he served as Assistant State's Attorney in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Following his position with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office he served, until 1999, as Legal Counsel to the Illinois Gaming Board. At the Illinois Gaming Board Mr. deGrasse developed and administered the state's regulatory policies for riverboat gaming, advised the Board and the Administrator on licensing and compliance matters, disciplinary actions and a range of legal and political issues requiring official action. Before joining Penn National in 2003, John deGrasse was Director of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs at WMS Industries Inc./WMS Gaming, one of the nation's leading gaming equipment suppliers, where he oversaw WMS' gaming licenses in approximately 180 jurisdictions.

Jordan Savitch, commented, "Licensing, legal and regulatory compliance are the foundations of the gaming industry and Tom and John's appointments underscore Penn National's commitment to bringing the most qualified individuals to these important positions.

"Tom brings top level regulatory experience to his role at Penn National since The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is widely recognized as one of the premier casino regulatory agencies in the world. This regulatory body benefited greatly from Tom's leadership and initiatives to advance gaming and licensing through the formation and development of the Atlantic City market. We're fortunate to have someone of Tom's stature in this critical role and his well-earned reputation for integrity in balancing the demands of the public and the needs of industry will be great assets at Penn National.

"Over the past four years, a period of rapid growth and jurisdictional expansion at Penn National, John has been instrumental in developing the Company's regulatory compliance function. He has also served as a senior corporate regulatory legal liaison providing regulatory counsel to Company personnel, including the executive staff and the corporate Compliance Committee. We are fortunate to have internal management talent to oversee legal and compliance functions at Penn National Race Course, our namesake property, and one of the Company's most important and significant development projects."

Mr. Auriemma is a member of the New Jersey State and New York State Bar Associations, a member of the International Association of Gaming Attorneys and formerly Chairman of the International Association of Gaming Regulators. He earned a J.D. degree, second in a class of 250, from Seton Hall University Law School in 1975 and a B.A. in History, Magna Cum Laude, from Seton Hall University in 1972.