Pennsylvania Table Games Create Nearly 4,500 New Jobs
Written by Matt W | Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
The Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee announced this week that nearly 4,500 new jobs had been created in less than a month, after table games such as poker were allowed in state casinos for the first time.
Jobs were created for table game dealers, but opportunities also spilled over for supervisors, clerks and security personnel who were needed to service this new arm introduced by casinos in Pennsylvania.
The Committee Chairman, Rep. Dante Santoni said at an informational hearing that the introduction of poker also appeared to boost slot machine play, as casinos attracted more gamblers.
“The state received a record $116 million in slot machine tax revenues in July; a 17.81 percent increase over last summer that will go to lowering property taxes,” said Santoni . “Many casinos credit that increase in slot play with the growing number of visitors they have seen since table games rolled out in mid-July.”
The committee will need to wait until next week to find out just how table games impacted the revenue at casinos when those numbers come out.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board noted that table games and slot machines combined have created nearly 13,000 jobs in the state.
Neighboring states set to expand their own gambling activities are keeping a close eye on Pennsylvania’s numbers. Maryland, for example, is busying itself in preparation for the introduction of slots for the first time. The first slot parlor is scheduled to open at the Hollywood Casino in Perryville at the end of September, housing 1,500 machines. 350 people are scheduled to start work in this slots parlor.
However, it may still be a long haul for Maryland until it reaches the stage of the introducing table games. While the issue could be brought up during the next General Assembly, the state governor, Martin O’Malley has stated that he opposes their introduction. “I’m not interested,” he told the media in January. “I’ll listen, but I’m not at this point in favor of any of that.”
Other Articles Published on CompatiblePoker.com
· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
