Pennsylvania’s infant casino industry is preparing to launch itself into a boom period when table games open this summer.
According to Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Chairman Gregory C. Fajt, “Since the Horse Race Development and Gaming Act was passed in 2004; all but two of the fourteen licenses available for slots casinos have been awarded.” The licenses are held by five stand alone casinos and six racinos that feature horse racing at the same site.
“And because table game players have more disposable income and are more willing to stay overnight and take in a concert than the average slots player, they will give casinos the incentive to add convention and show spaces and to book boxing matches and big-name musicians,”
The tax rate on table games is only 16 percent. Casinos should jump at the chance to offer them. Some casinos are already planning to build hotels for their potential new customers.
One thing for certain; sometime this summer, the cards will fly in Pennsylvania.
