Pennyslvania Starting To Seriously Consider Table Games

[cc218]

Looks like the PA legislature is starting to seriously consider blackjack and other table games. The article here points out a couple of different tax scenarios on the casinos themselves. Not sure what other states tax casinos at but I'm thinking that a better tax rate would have a better chance of having more liberable rules for the tables themselves. http://post-gazette.com/pg/09224/990320-100.stm

[ChefJJ]

It's all coming together...residents getting their taste of school tax breaks from the slots, pressure from DE casinos having sports betting, and now the massive budget debates.

At least there's a positive in all this economic mess here in PA.

good luck

[kewljason]

Originally Posted by cc218

Not sure what other states tax casinos at but I'm thinking that a better tax rate would have a better chance of having more liberable rules for the tables themselves.

Not sure I agree with this thinking at all. I think they are going to want to create as large a "hold" as possible by giving horrible crappy rules that give the casino as much an advantage as they can get away with. The only thing that will create more liberal rules is competition. Pa venues all stand alone, rather than in a cluster like atlantic city or vegas, so each casino has vertually no competition.

[cc218]

Originally Posted by kewljason

Not sure I agree with this thinking at all. I think they are going to want to create as large a "hold" as possible by giving horrible crappy rules that give the casino as much an advantage as they can get away with. The only thing that will create more liberal rules is competition. Pa venues all stand alone, rather than in a cluster like atlantic city or vegas, so each casino has vertually no competition.

i think i agree with your crappy rules logic as well. I could see it going several ways i guess. As for the competition question i see what your saying about not being all lined up but there is still competition from places not far away. Ohio has just announced that they will be adding slots. That can potentially dent the casinos in pittsburgh and the one in erie. The two pittsburgh area ones also have the tables and slots of west virginia (about 1 hour from there) to contend with. The erie one already has to contend with an Indian casino about an hour away and the casinos in niagara falls(about 1.5 hours). The philly ones will have to battle with the A.C. ones as well. So there is some competition around though not quite as direct as one would like. In any case I will be happy if there are halfways decent games around. As it is i see no real reason to go to the PA casinos often as slots suck and the virtual blackjack rules are just not any good.

[Automatic Monkey]

I'll believe it when I'm sitting at the table playing. For the trend in casinos is to get as far away from table games as possible, which is why casino outfits like Sands and Mohegan Sun are so hot to open up casinos in these slots-only venues. It's the slots-only casinos that are taking money away from the traditional casinos, not the other way around.

[ChefJJ]

AM - keep in mind that the table games proposal was "urged" to the legislature by three of PA's casinos execs. Even if profits from tables are less than slots percentage wise, you've gotta think that offering more products in the shop will attract more players, and perhaps for more trips.

[N&B]

PA, Catskills, MA, and even Lil Rhody are hammering the rev's of CT already, and most of this aint built yet! At least thats what the Rev report just handed in states. On the other hand, the "stupid" economy, is drying up... the non addicted are leaving the slots alone, very alone. And then theres the MGM Grand at FW... just too late to be profitable. Thank God Weiker rammed an Income Tax up our ass in late '91... just before FW opened in April '92 or we'd be broke...

NO WAIT... we are broke... and the Income Tax is getting less $$$$$$ too. Jeez, whats a poor little rich state gonna do? LMFAO ROTF PMP

[Kasi]

Well, I do happen to think physical card games might be a reality in Pennsylvania in the not-too-distant future.

I don't know, but, it seems to me PA might have about the highest HA% on slots of anywhere in the country. (due to, like someone said, the highest tax-rate by the state).

In the meantime, the virtual BJ machines at the new casino in Pittsburgh exist in a $5, $10, $15 $25 min bet form with a $100 max on each with each player and dealer having his own virtually 6D, DOA, DAS, LS, H17 3:2 BJ, shuffled aftewr every round I believe, with the 7-cards-or-less less than 21 being an auto-winner stuff.

There was a Royal Match bet but I don't know the pay table becasue I'd never play it anyway lol.

The table rules said something about a "$5 bonus with the max bet of $100"?!
It almost made it sound one might have a $105 bet with only a $100 bet of one's own money.

Anybody know what that actually means?

Yes, the H17 does kind of ruin it a little lol.

Also a $5 3-card poker table with a pair-plus 35-25-6-4-1 paytable if I remember right. Don't even know the basic non- pair-plus table lol.

Also, I'm not sure whether it is Peek or No-Peek.

[kewljason]

Originally Posted by Kasi

Well, I do happen to think physical card games might be a reality in Pennsylvania in the not-too-distant future.

I don't know, but, it seems to me PA might have about the highest HA% on slots of anywhere in the country. (due to, like someone said, the highest tax-rate by the state).

Can I ask, what makes you think table games are in the not too distant future, Kasi? I really haven't heard much talk of this. I know Pa, like everyone else wants to increase it's revenue, However I would think the first priority should be to concentrate on getting casinos, or more accurately called slot parlors up and running in the largest city in the state. It's inconceivable that 3 years into legal slot play in Pa, the largest degenerate pool of gamblers is still being ignored. Thats just bad management.

[ChefJJ]

kewljason,

Maybe I'm killing too many brain cells these days, but don't Phila Park & Harrah's Chester have slot parlors up and running in the Philly area right now?

And there has been consideration to a table game bill, but the whole budget issue has been "time consuming", if you will.

good luck