Penn National Gaming Names New VP

WYOMISSING, Pennsylvania -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Penn National Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) announced today that Desiree A. Burke, has been named Vice President and Corporate Controller. Ms. Burke succeeds Robert Abraham who has been named Director of Finance overseeing the Company's pari-mutuel racing accounting at Penn National Race Course, Bangor Raceway, Charles Town Races and Raceway Park.

Ms. Burke's responsibilities at Penn National will include financial accounting and reporting such as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, certifications and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and documentation. She will be based at the company's Wyomissing corporate headquarters and will report to Penn National's Chief Financial Officer, William J. Clifford.

Ms. Burke brings eighteen years of accounting experience to her new position at Penn National. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Burke was the Executive Vice President/Director of Financial Reporting and Control for MBNA America Bank, N.A., the world's largest independent credit card lender. At MBNA she was responsible for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, SEC reporting and periodic filings, and regulatory reporting to the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She joined MBNA in 1994 and held positions of ascending responsibilities in the finance department including Executive Vice President/Assistant Controller and Executive Vice President/Director of Control. During her tenure with MBNA she was also responsible for merger and acquisition accounting and reporting.

"Desiree brings a strong background in financial reporting, regulatory compliance and merger and acquisition accounting to her new role at Penn National and we are delighted to welcome her to the finance department. We are confident that her background, expertise and knowledge will prove valuable to Penn National as we continue to build the company through project development, acquisitions and the integration of acquired properties," stated William J. Clifford, Chief Financial Officer of Penn National Gaming.

Mr. Clifford added, "Penn National is fortunate to have a depth of management which includes Bob Abraham's pari-mutuel racing expertise and we look forward to the benefit of his financial leadership in overseeing our racing assets and operations."

Prior to her work at MBNA, Ms. Burke spent four years as a senior accountant at Scott Paper in Philadelphia as well as three years as a senior auditor at Coopers and Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers) also in Philadelphia.

Ms. Burke earned a Masters in Accounting from Widener University in 1996 and a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from The University of Delaware in 1987.