Pennsylvania Horsemen Say No to Poker
Written by Renee K | Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Plans to introduce table games, including poker at the Parx Casino in Pennsylvania have hit a hurdle with the announcement by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association that they will oppose the move until conditions at the adjoining track have been improved.
Describing the conditions as “deplorable”, the association informed the Pennsylvania Gaming Board of the stand at a special hearing on Wednesday.
With the change in legislation to allow poker and table games at casinos in the state as a means of increasing revenues for Pennsylvania, Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, which owns Parx, applied to operate 80 games.
The Parx Casino is considered a major success story in the state and generates around 20% of all slots revenue. It is also the most profitable gambling establishment in Pennsylvania.
If the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association does not give the green light and stands by its opposition to the plans, the Parx Casino may lose out to competitors who have been able to earn poker licenses after their own hearings with the Gaming Control Board.
The Association argued that since the Parx Casino is so profitable, there is no reason why it cannot maintain the race track and the adjoining barns and dormitories. Since last year, repeated requests have been made by the race track to the casino owners, outlining the many different maintenance jobs that need to be carried out – 280 in total – in order to bring the location up to scratch. According to Michal Ballezzi, the executive director for the Horsemen’s Association, no progress has been made in this matter.
Countering these claims, the Chief Operating Officer of the track, Joe Wilson, said that Greenwood Gaming has agreed to spend $25 million fixing the Parx track, due to snowstorm damage and buildings that are in danger of collapse.
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· Written by Renee K · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
