We’re Playing In Pennsylvania. Are we ever! Finally, the anticipated fun and games in the Keystone state exploded as sure as the July fireworks. Every casino poker room in the state opened to large crowds. Waiting lists deterred no one. If this is an indication of things to come, Pennsylvania will become a major player in the gambling world of poker.
 
Sure, there were growing pains, the usual ones expected with a new business. But the players expected some, most taking it in stride. “It will take a little while for the new dealers to adjust, but for a chance to play close to home in my own state, it’s worth it,” said Daren Weaver. Weaver, a dealer and player himself, doesn’t feel it will take long.” Some of the new dealers are a little nervous, and probably a little overwhelmed with the enormous crowds,” he said.
 
In another part of the state, Doug Fry, for many years a player who would travel anywhere for a good poker game, said “This is close enough to home, I can play four to five times a week, at least,” he said.
 
With no shortage of action, the players played on and on.
 
Poker in the First State. Delaware may be a small state, but they think big when it comes to gambling. All three racinos are now open for poker business. According to state officials, introducing table games to Delaware will generate forty million in tax dollars.
 
One month after Harrington Raceway Casino offered table games, Delaware Park opened their doors to large groups of very appreciative players. Then Dover Downs got in on the action and all reports indicate they are all doing very well, with plenty of action.
 
Delaware Park held their inaugural tournament on July 11 with a two hundred dollar buy in. Poker boss Anthony Chester arranged a fun filled event and included several special guests, one of whom was professional poker player Beth Shak.
 
Chester came to Delaware Park from the Las Vegas Venetian. Traveling from Las Vegas, to celebrate with his friend, was Anthony’s former boss, Tom Mix. Shortly after the tournament began, Anthony pointed to Tom’s head, announcing a one hundred dollar bounty on it. And shortly after the announcement, Anthony had to “make good” on his promise. I don’t know what the hand was, but Tom good naturally laughed as he stood up, exiting the table.
 
Another Battle Brews In Gettysburg. As controversy swirls, a hearing has been scheduled for August 31. The applicant for the Category 3 resort casino license is Mason-Dixon Resorts, LP. Their proposed spot: the Eisenhower Resorts and Convention Center on the famed Emmitsburg Road.
 
Historical purists argue that the location, just half a mile from the site where Union troops pushed back Confederate forces that turned the tide of the war, is sacred.
 
There is no doubting the cherished feelings toward the sanctity of the hallowed grounds. And there is no doubting the high unemployment rate among the hard scrabble areas surrounding the scenic town.
 
On the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg’s 147th anniversary, a group of prominent American historians sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, stressing a casino near Gettysburg battleground will bring “unavoidable conflict” with the area’s historical significance. James McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning “Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era” is one of the most vocal opponents.
 
The proposed location is three miles north of the Mason Dixon Line. Approximately 50,000 Americans on both sides were casualties in just three days. Opponents feel cherished American heritage would be sacrificed in the name of commerce.
 
The casino proponents feel Adams County can no longer depend on its Civil War tourism legacy alone. The casino is expected to create 900 jobs. Sixty two percent of those in Adams County support the casino, according to a study conducted by Franklin & Marshall College that polled 600 county residents, and Poker Player Newspaper will bring you the results of that public hearing.
 
Barbara Rogers is Northeast regional sales manager for Poker Player Newspaper. You can contact her at pokerplayerne@yahoo.com.