Live Poker in Pennsylvania Casinos Begins Today
July 8th, 2010
Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh will start spreading live poker today.
It’s been a long journey for poker players in Pennsylvania who want to play in their local casinos, but the day they’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.
After a limited test run that began on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has given the go-ahead for casinos in western Pennysylvania to begin offering table games to their patrons. Games such as blackjack, craps and roulette will be available, but one of the biggest draws is expected to be poker.
Pittsburgh will have two big poker rooms to draw in players who have previously had to go out of state to play their favorite game. The Rivers Casino will sport a 24-table poker room, while the Meadows Racetrack and Casino will feature a poker room with 26 tables. Both of those locations will begin spreading their new games at 6 a.m. ET today.
Table games will make their way to the other side of the state on July 18, when Parx Casino in Bensalem and Harrah’s Chester in Delaware County are scheduled to begin offering the games. The SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, which is still under construction, will offer table games immediately upon opening in late September this year.
The addition of live poker and other table games to casinos in Pennsylvania has already generated $165 million for the state this year thanks to licensing fees paid by the casinos, nearly making up for the state government’s $200 million budget shortfall. The state expects to pull in another $90 million before the end of the year through licensing fees on two smaller casinos and a 16 percent tax on table game revenues.
