In a move to try to increase wagering on its horse racing product, Pennsylvania's Parx Racing opened a 24-table 'poker room' in the middle of its third-floor grandstand

on Wednesday, November 3.

According to a report by the Philadelphia Business Journal, the track -- which has seen its on-track handle fall 17.6 per cent this year -- will be hosting an official grand opening for the poker room on Friday, November 5.

“The people who sit down to play poker will want to bet on a race and the person who bets on a race will want to play poker,” Parx Racing COO Joe Wilson was quoted as saying.

The article states that casino/racetrack plans to expand the poker room to 61 tables next year.

In April of this year, Ajax Downs Vice President of Corporate Affairs Nick Coukos, who is also a sharp poker player, told Norm Borg on Trot Radio that there is a great chance of player crossover from poker to wagering on horse racing.

After winning a World Series of Poker circuit event in the United States, Coukos told Borg, "It's amazing when you go down there, you'll see poker players who are looking up at the screen betting races while they're playing poker. That synergy is important because poker can be a slow game."

He went on to say, "Most of the major poker tournaments are won by youth. The guys I was playing with were in their twenties...these are the types of guys that have never bet a horse in their life but if we expose racing while they're playing poker, guess what? They're going to try it."

(With files from the Philadelphia Business Journal)