Plan for poker & black jack table games in PA stirs opponents to act
Table games at Pennsylvania's new slot parlors are getting more attention. A state lawmaker is pushing to add table games and the operator of the Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley casinos wants to offer the additional gambling option. But the move has plenty of opposition.
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Poker, blackjack and roulette would bring higher stakes to the state's gambling halls, and with it, more revenue. But casino opponents say it would also bring more headaches, and more gaming addicts.
Bucks County Republican state Representative Paul Clymer says he's not surprised by the move.
Clymer: And I said specifically in the debates that just wait and see, that the slots is just part of the agenda of those promoting casino gambling that the table games will follow, that's just a natural, that's what they have in Las Vegas, that's what they have in Atlantic City.
Clymer says if the bill gets introduced, he'll add an amendment requiring a voter referendum to approve the measure.
A spokesman for Governor Rendell says there was never a hidden agenda to expand gaming, and the Governor wants to wait until all the slots parlors are up and running before considering table games.