Rushmore Casino

In January 2010, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill legalizing table games at all the state’s casinos. Within weeks, casinos began roaring into action. Even though casino operators knew that the final implementation of the new table games was still months away, they had their work cut out for them. Many had to expand their floors to make room for hundreds of new blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps tables. Casinos also had to hire and train new dealers to run the new table games, and to make sure they were up-to-speed with blackjack rules, table etiquette, and so forth.

Now, after months of preparation, blackjack and all the other new table games will go live at Pennsylvania’s casinos this Thursday, July 8th. The changes are considerable – what were once small-time slot parlors have grown into massive casino and hotel resort complexes. Once the new tables are up and running, players can be sure that blackjack tournaments and other competitions will be just around the corner.

The changes are being welcomed by the state, which expects to see millions in additional revenues come streaming in from the expanded gambling offerings. The games have not even launched but licensing fees from 10 casino operators in the state have already generated $165 million.

Not all tables in Pennsylvania are going live on Thursday – only about 200 of the state’s 700 new games will be accepting players. The rest will become active as the year progresses, with games launching in one region at a time from west to east across the state.

Many casinos are targeting a specific demographic with their new table game offerings. Since elderly women were their primary customers when they could only offer slots, casinos are seeking to balance things out by appealing to younger males. While casinos will see plenty of business from existing gamblers who will be glad to not have to drive to Atlantic City to play, they will also have to deal with competition from online casinos accepting US players, which are becoming increasingly popular with players.