TEWKSBURY – Greater Lowell has joined the race for the state’s lone slots parlor.

Penn National Gaming, based in Wyomissing, Pa., is in discussions with the town of Tewksbury to site a $200 million slots parlor on 30 acres off Ames Pond Drive, near the Interstate 495/Route 133 interchange.

Penn National Gaming would build restaurants and other amenities on the site, according to the source.

The state is allowing one slots parlor in the state. The company will be competing against at least four other proposed sites: Leominster, Millbury, Raynham and Plainfield.

The timeline for discussions with Tewksbury is tight, the source said. Applications for the slots parlor have to be submitted to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission by Oct. 4. Tewksbury voters would be asked to approve the slot parlor in a townwide referendum by then.

Penn National Gaming will present a more detailed plan to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Penn National Gaming operates 28 gaming and racing facilities, with a focus on slot machine entertainment, the source said. In total, Penn National Gaming’s facilities feature about 34,500 gaming machines, 850 table games, 2,900 hotel rooms and 1.6 million square feet of gaming floor space.

The state is allowing three full casinos and one slots parlor. The full casinos will be put in three zones around the state, but the slots parlor can go anywhere .

Boxboro selectmen rejected a slots parlor plan from The Cordish Companies last month; now, The Cordish Companies is trying again in Leominster.

For more on this story, read Thursday’s edition of The Sun or watch lowellsun.com.

Follow Rick Sobey on Twitter @rsobeyLSun.