The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today approved the petitions of three casinos to conduct table games, bringing the total of casinos that have gained such
approval to five.
Approved by the Board following conclusion of the public hearing process were:
- Mount Airy #1, LLC, operator of Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County
- Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County
- Sands Bethworks Gaming, LLC, operator of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Northampton County
In March, the operators of Pocono Downs in Luzerne County and the parx Casino/Philadelphia Park Racetrack in Bucks County gained Board approval of their petitions to operate table games.
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Chairman Greg Fajt said today’s approvals keeps the process of implementing table games at casinos moving forward. He says Board staff and the casinos are continuing to work toward getting table games up and running as soon as possible, all the while doing so with a priority to protect the collective needs of the Commonwealth.
“While the approval to conduct table games is critical, the Board still has months of work to do in order to assure patrons at our casinos that table games will be conducted fair and by employees with the highest integrity,” Fajt said. “In kind, the casinos must complete rearrangements of the gaming floor space, hire thousands of new employees and allow each to be investigated by the Board, and assure that patrons are offered a clean and enjoyable experience by properly training the table game dealers.
Fajt said the goal continues to be a rollout of table games sometime around mid-year 2010.
The casinos approved today each finished their own public hearing, a process that began earlier this year in each of the respective municipalities with the collection of public input. The three casinos explained to the Board that they would create over 1,300 new full-time jobs to support their expansions into table games. In addition, each informed the Board that it has the financial wherewithal to pay the state-mandated $16.5 million table games fee by June 1 of this year and will dedicate millions of additional dollars toward construction at their facilities to accommodate table games.
Senate Bill 711, now Act 1 of 2010, provides authorization for existing Pennsylvania casinos to conduct table games through the filing of a petition with, and approval by, the Gaming Control Board. As of today, nine Category 1 and 2 operating casinos, along with one Category 2 casino being built in Philadelphia, have petitioned the Board to operate table games. Hearings have been held in the municipalities where a casino operates for seven of the petitions. All information on the table games public hearings is available by clicking of the Table Games Public Input Hearings link on the home page of the Gaming Control Board’s website, www.pgcb.state.pa.us.
Each Category 1 and 2 facility approved by the Board can conduct gaming at up to 250 tables in addition to operating up to 5,000 slot machines.
Details of Mount Airy Casino Resort Table Games Startup Proposal:
- Banking Games – 56 total consisting of 34 Blackjack tables, 2 Craps tables, 4 Roulette tables, 4 Three-Card Poker tables, 2 Pai Gow Tile tables, 2 Pai Gow Poker tables, 2 Let It Ride tables and 4 Baccarat tables
- Non-Banking Games – 12 Poker tables
- Additional Jobs to be Created by Table Games – 480 total consisting of 330 full-time and 150 part-time
- Renovations of gaming facility which will employ an addition 75-100 construction workers
- Table Games Training – provided at off-site facility
Details of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course Table Games Startup Proposal:
- Banking Games – 40 total consisting of 20 Blackjack tables, 4 Craps tables, 4 Roulette tables, 2 Baccarat tables, and 10 tables for other games
- Non-Banking Games – 12 Texas hold ‘em/Stud Poker tables
- Additional Jobs to be Created by Table Games – 439 total consisting of 331 full-time and 108 part-time
- Estimated yearly taxes generated to Commonwealth and local governments from table play - $4.9 million
- Table Games Training – provided at facility
Details of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem Table Games Startup Proposal:
- Banking Games – 77 total consisting of 41 Blackjack tables, 4 Craps tables, 4 Roulette tables, 4 Three-Card Poker tables, 5 Mini Baccarat tables, 4 Midi Baccarat tables, 4 Pai Gow Poker tables, 1 Big Six table, 2 Let It Ride tables, 2 Caribbean Stud tables, 4 Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker tables, 1 Casino War table, and 1 Sic Bo table
- Non-Banking Games – 12 Poker tables
- Additional Jobs to be Created by Table Games – 393 full-time
- Renovations of gaming facility which will employ an addition 100 construction workers
- Table Games Training – provided at facility
(Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board)