Delaware Racinos Prepares for Roll Out of Casino Table Games
The state of Delaware's legalization of casino table games has place the state on even ground with Pennsylvania in launching the new games. Delaware's racinos anticipate that the casino table games like craps could be available to customers as early as May 2010, edging out Pennsylvania's roll-out plans by a month or more.
Dover Downs President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Sutor said on February 12th, 2010 that all three racing tracks in Delaware plans to roll-out the casino table games as soon as possible. Sutor said that everything depends on how fast racinos can hire casino employees and train them.
The casino table games legislation approved into law by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell on January 28th, 2010 paves the way for Delaware's three racinos (Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway and Casino) to offer as many casino table games that they want.
The Delaware Lottery is in process of creating rules and regulations and deciding what type of games, which will include anything that is offered in casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas Strip. Sutor said that craps will take the longest time to roll-out since it is the hardest game to teach to new dealers.
In the state of Delaware, like Pennsylvania, casino table gaming is new, which means that the states will be getting from the same pool to find experienced casino employees and gaming supplies and equipment. Both will be the key in how quickly the casino games can be roll-out as well as getting the needed gaming regulations in Place.
More than an hour's travel from Philadelphia, Dover Downs' planned fifty-two casino table games will more likely to be going against Atlantic City and West Virginia's gaming market, not Pennsylvania, from where it attracts just 6% of its player base. Located a lot closer to Wilmington, Delaware Park's planned seventy-two casino table games will be going head-to-head with Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack in Chester as well as the SugarHouse casino.
Delaware Park Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gentile said that they will begin offering casino table games by late May 2010. Delaware racinos will hire an additional 750 employees for the casino table games, including 250-300 each at Delaware Park and Dover Downs, majority of which will be casino dealers.
The ones that will be hired first will be employees with casino table gaming experience, which racinos will task to conduct dealer classes at Delaware Technical and Community College. Casino table games dealer classes will cost anywhere from $500 to more than $1000 and will last four to sixteen weeks depending on the difficulty of the casino table games being taught.
Gentile said that racinos do not foresee any problems filling out the needed positions. Looking for used gaming equipment for the dealer classes could prove more difficult. Delaware Park must not only compete for gaming equipment with racinos in Delaware but neighboring Charleston, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
2010-02-17
John O'Haver
