Is Poker in the Cards for West Virginia Racetracks?

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

Triangle Poker Journal™
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com

Is Poker in the Cards for West Virginia Racetracks?

A bill allowing table games like poker and black jack at West Virginia state's 4 dog-and-horse tracks is expected to be introduced today. The bill would allow each tracks' host county to vote on permitting table games, would make the games part of the state's legalized lottery system, and give government a share of the profits.

The 4 racetrack counties are: Jefferson, Kanawha, and to the north: Hancock and Ohio counties.
Racetrack management says it is about survival given their clientele are principally from out of state and that new competition from nearby Pennsylvania will steal their customers.

Northern neighbor Pennsylvania has already authorized up to 61,000 machines at 14 sites and expects to see 30,000 operating by 2008, which is nearly three times the number hosted by the West Virginia tracks. Also 11 casinos are expected to be open by 2009. Three casinos are already operating.

Many opponents argue against gaming on moral grounds and for economic diversification, fearing the track companies will abandon West Virginia when they have expanded into larger population centers.

Other opponents are pushing for a state-wide vote as a tactic to kill the bill, since such a vote has less chance of success.

Some even argue that the racetracks are becoming full-blown casinos, so the state constitution must be amended to permit casinos.

If approved, the bill is expected to require county officials to schedule elections within 90 to 120 days after a racetrack applies. The racetracks are expected to bear the costs of the elections, said John Cavacini, head of the state Racing Association.

Even before introduction, the bill changed several times since drafting began. It is now expected to allow each county to reverse the approval of table games five years after the initial vote. It will also share 24 percent of gross proceeds with the state, twice the initial rate proposed by the Racing Association.

At least three of the racetracks have won allies by investing hundreds of millions of dollars to transform their facilities into tourist destinations.

Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Chester, owned by MTR Gaming Group Inc., features a hotel, high-end restaurants, a spa and a boxing venue.

Nearby Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center is in the middle of an $8 million expansion, furthering the $70 million of improvements made since 2003.

The Eastern Panhandle's Charles Town Races & Slots parent, Penn National Gaming Inc., is planning to build a new hotel there. It table games are approved, they have pledged that the hotel is just the beginning of a $200 million expansion project.

In the end, the issue whether table games are allowed at West Virginia's four racetracks might come down to who gets to vote on the decision.


Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal