Delaware Senate Approves Casino Table Games
The State of Delaware's Senate approved a bill that will allow casino table games at state casinos. It is expected that the casino table games bill will allow card games like craps. These games will be permitted at the three casino facilities legally running in Delaware and are expected to produce much needed money for the state budget.
There has been little opposition in the approval of the bill first introduced Governor Jack Markell (D). It entered the Delaware House on January 21st, 2010, passing in a 27-5 vote before coming to the Delaware Senate on January 25th, 2010 and passing in a vote of 15-4.
Governor Jack Markell approved the bill into law, making it official just before the weekend. The gaming announcement deals another significant blow to Atlantic City casinos which is already experiencing a significant drop in gaming revenue each year. Some gaming analysts have stated that revenue on casino table games may drop as much as fifteen percent due to Delaware new gaming bill, as well as similar bills approved by neighboring states.
Pennsylvania approved laws to legalize casino table games in the state several weeks ago. Cory Morowitz, a gambling advisor, said that Atlantic City gets affected both by Pennsylvania and Delaware because they are located within the center of their feeder markets. He said that when Delaware gets casino table games, they will attract a lot of players from the D.C-Baltimore area.
Nevertheless, AC Casinos has put on a stoic face by publicly declaring that the Delaware bill will not affect their gaming operations as they offer customers a different kind of gaming.
Joseph Corbo, the president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said that they continue to believe that the variety of the gaming product and quality of their non-gaming offering will help them survive the changing gaming market.
The state lottery commission is yet to announce what casino table games will be allowed to be offered by Dover Downs, Harrington Raceway and Casino and Delaware Park.
2010-02-22
John O'Haver
