Pennsylvania, Delaware Race to Offer Poker and Table Games

Poker players in Pennsylvania and Delaware are gaining more and more options for playing live poker, as new poker rooms are opening at a steady rate. Just last week, poker and other table games were opened at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County (both in Pennsylvania), while the Dover Downs in Delaware is running a two-day testing period of its Crown Royal poker room beginning today.

For the Dover Downs, the plan is for the poker room to go into full operation beginning Wednesday, assuming they get approval from the Delaware Lottery, which is expected. Along with other Delaware “racinos,” Dover Downs began offering a wider variety of games, including many table games, last month. The poker room is designed to increase that table game revenue, and also gives Dover Downs the opportunity to host poker tournaments.

In Pennsylvania, the story is much the same. While Pennsylvania has had casinos since 2006, they were only slots casinos until last year, when Governor Ed Rendell and the state legislature legalized table games in order to raise more revenue for the state during the recession, when tax revenues dropped off significantly.

The race to open up poker and other table games has become fierce in the region, as many states see poker as a way to raise significant revenue without increasing taxes. Both Delaware and Pennsylvania have scrambled to find enough qualified dealers and floor personnel to staff their games, which has so far been one of the main limits on the growth of these casinos and poker rooms. Both states also face competition from nearby Atlantic City, which was until recently the only area in the region that had table games and poker. The state of Maryland is also looking to get into the action soon, as slots-only casinos are expected to open later this year in Ocean City and Perryville.