The new Harrah’s Chester Casino is the state’s biggest casino yet with more than 2,700 slot machines, and is poised to become a leading revenue generator for the state as well as the community. And with eight more casinos getting set to open during the next year, Pennsylvania is set to become one of the state’s leading gaming destinations.

The $420 million Harrah’s Chester Casino facility also includes a seasonal harness-racing track, an off-track betting room, nine restaurants and bars. Harness racing will launch in July.  Slot machines range in denominations from just one cent all the way up to $100.

Already the casino is bringing in big bucks for its owners and the state, which collects 55 percent of the take as taxes. In a story virtually identical to the recent openings of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Philadelphia Park, Harrah’s Chester Casino is already reaping rewards for its mega-investment.

The weekend before last when the casino’s open status was invitation-only it pulled in $2,720,685.82 and paid out $2,468,844.49 for a gross revenue of $251,581.33. The state’s share of that one day was $138,369.73 while Harrah’s got $113,211.60. By the time the casino opened last week, people were lined up for a chance to play.

In fact, the casino opened a day ahead of schedule and the public was already there, hoping to come in. Vince Donlevie, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Chester Casino told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "There were a couple hundred people stacked up and looking to come in. I guess they must have just hoped."

Once fully up and running, Harrah's executives have said they expect gross revenue per slot machine to average $248 a day, or $678,000 per machine per year. That’s after payouts to gamblers. It’s also estimated 3 million people a year will visit the casino – a million more than the state’s top current attraction, the Liberty Bell.

The states two other casinos are also reaping in rewards, seeing wagers of just under $300 million during the first three weeks of January. At Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs, which has just 1,099 slot machines, $97,809,711.10 was wagered through the week of January 15, with $88,145,097.19 being paid out and gross terminal revenue of $9,857,355.94.

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Philadelphia Park has 2,076 slot machines which saw $182,256,909.82 wagered during the first three weeks of January, and achieved gross terminal revenue of $16,084,958.93. It expects to add another 1,000 slot machines later this year.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs opened on November 14th, and Philadelphia Park Casino opened on December 19th.

The town of Chester is guaranteed at least $10 million a year from its two percent share of casino winnings, which is more than a quarter of the city's $37.5 million budget. Chester will also reap at least $500,000 a year from income taxes paid by Harrah's employees at a rate of 1.4 percent for residents, 2.4 percent for nonresidents.

Other gaming companies building casinos in Pennsylvania include HSP Gaming, Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners, PITG Gaming, Mount Airy #1 and Sands Bethworks Gaming. Additionally, state law permits a combined total of 61,000 machines in all licensed facilities, with individual casinos permitted to operate up to 5,000 gaming machines each.
Also coming to Philadelphia is Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia. Expected to open in three phases through November 2008, the $986 million casino 3.7 million square foot casino will initially feature 3,000 slot machines and will be located along the Delaware River waterfront. The $460 million Phase I will include the slot machines, showroom, retail shops, restaurants, and site infrastructure. The $223 million Phase II will include a new Riverfront and Pier 60 entertainment district featuring more nightlife and dining options and 2,000 more slot machines while the $203 million Phase III will include a 500-room hotel, 21,000-square-foot full-service spa and a conference facility.

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