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A New Penn Mini-Casino Could Save An Old PA Landmark

The narrative on Pennsylvania mini-casinos appears to be changing.

Most stories regarding state lawmakers authorizing the opening of up to 10 mini-casinos across PA have centered around where they will be located. Or, how much in tax revenue the operations can create for the communities that host them. Still, others have discussed whether the satellite casino operations are sustainable. Particularly in what is quickly becoming an oversaturated Northeast casino market.

Now, thanks to PA-based casino industry giant Penn National Gaming, some talk is changing. In fact, discussions are beginning to surround what a mini-casino can do for a community, outside of just providing tax dollars and jobs.

Penn National picks York County

The first mini-casino auction was held by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) in January. At the time, Penn National Gaming subsidiary Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, which runs the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, bid a whopping $50,100,000 for the rights to build around the borough of Yoe in York County.

Penn National won the bid easily. Mostly because it went above and beyond industry projections of between $30 to $40 million to secure the rights.

The area in which Penn National has the rights to build its mini casino sits approximately 50 miles south of the Hollywood Casino. Plus, it is 20 miles north of the Maryland state line. It appears to have been strategically selected to help protect the Hollywood Casino from the competition.

However, as Penn National Gaming zeros in on the exact location where it will build the mini-casino, further motives may be emerging.

Saving Mifflin House

The York Daily Record local newspaper, part of the USA Today Network, published a story this week claiming Penn National is looking at three parcels of land in an area off the Wrightsville exit of Route 30 for its mini casino. One of which includes the historic Mifflin House.

Mifflin House was built around 1800. It was operated by owners Jonathan and Susanna Mifflin as a safe house on the Underground Railroad through the late 1850s. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by African-American slaves to escape into free states and Canada.

The house sits on a hill above the Borough of Wrightsville surrounded by a growing industrial park. It is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Particularly because of its association with the Underground Railroad. However, several plans for the area have called for its demolition. As a result, a movement has begun to save the property.

If it does select the site where Mifflin House sits, Penn National spokesman Jeff Morris told The York Daily Record the company could save the day, preserving the historic house:

“We understand the importance to the community.”

Penn National gaming representatives reportedly attended a Hellam Township meeting last week. There, they explained the company’s interest in the three parcels of land in the area.

Township supervisors immediately voted in favor of allowing a mini-casino in Hellam.

The hope is that Penn National will incorporate Mifflin House land into the development of the casino. A move that will save the historic property.

The fact Penn National is considering the idea is certainly pleasing to local preservationists.

Changing the narrative on mini casinos

However, Penn National Gaming is still considering several other sites as well. Even though none appear to be able to provide the kind of public relations lift the Mifflin House location can. Plus, no other site has the power to change the narrative on mini-casinos altogether like it does.

The deadline for Penn National to select a location for its mini-casino is coming up in July.

Photo by Heidi Besen / Shutterstock.com

The post A New Penn Mini-Casino Could Save An Old PA Landmark appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.

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Gordon Vayo Sues PokerStars: Timeline, Summary And Analysis Of Plaintiff’s Claims

High profile live and online poker player Gordon Vayo has sued the world’s largest poker site for “fraud” and “false advertising,” according to a May 2, 2018, lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

The post Gordon Vayo Sues PokerStars: Timeline, Summary And Analysis Of Plaintiff’s Claims appeared first on Online Poker Report.

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Inside A Texas Poker Club: A Trip Report

Earlier this week I wrote about the brand new Poker Club of West Houston. Since the club finally opened on May 7, I decided I needed to play to get the full experience of one of these Texas poker clubs popping up all over the state.

Entrance

The club is situated in an L-shaped strip center with two notable restaurants around the corner. Ironically, one of those restaurants, Landry’s, is owned by Golden Nugget mogul Tillman Fertitta.

I walked through the smoked-glass door and found two ladies with ID badges working the reception desk. I gave my name, and they located the registration form I’d filled out when I interviewed the owners last week.

Then, they requested my driver’s license and used it to make my membership card. For this, the club charged me $10 plus a $15 daily fee.

I must admit, the $15 rankled me because I’d not seen it as one of the advertised costs on the website. However, I wasn’t going to let that stand in my way of playing poker 10 minutes from my house.

Cashier and seating

I entered the poker room through – no lie – a pair of swinging saloon doors and proceeded to the cashier cage for chips. At the cage, I bought $225 in chips, $10 in singles for tipping, and four half-hour time cards for $30.

I’d arrived around 4 p.m., so there was only one $1/$3 NLHE table running at the time. I took a seat in the 8 spot and looked around the table at my competitors.

The table was playing eight-handed, with six men (including me) and two women. I recognized the 2 seat as a longtime Houston player, and to my immediate left was the amiable and bear-like owner of the club, Scott Ketcham.

Texas Poker Club

Gameplay

Each dealer rotation meant that I had to surrender one of my time cards to remain seated. The time card scheme ends up being a bit of a hassle, because they must be purchased separately and without using chips.

However, gameplay itself was quite smooth for a club on its first day. The dealers were smooth and relaxed, and I didn’t see one misdeal during my entire session.

The people around the table were quite friendly. Many seemed to know one another already.

As a result, club play felt like a hybrid between a home game and a casino game for the most part. Pots were on the large side for a $1/$3 game, with opening raises between $15 and $21, typically.

Service

In keeping with the hybrid feel, the service personnel acted in ways familiar both in a casino and in one’s own home. Nonalcoholic beverages were available, and players could be served any alcohol they brought into the club themselves.

Interestingly, one of the servers was willing to run errands to the liquor store or convenience store on the players’ behalf. One player gave a credit card to the server and sent her for Jack Daniels Apple.

Players also had at least two options for food available to them. In fact, the club managed to have one of Houston’s many food trucks set up shop directly outside the venue. Servers acted as food runners as the orders came.

Observations

      The Good:

  • Aesthetics – It is a beautiful room that beats the accommodations of several casinos I’ve visited, including some on the Strip.
  • Dealers – The dealers are all smooth and professional in their execution, which is surprising in a city 150 miles from the nearest casino.
  • Staff – The staff were all very polite. Everyone with a nametag wanted players to feel comfortable in the room.
  • Equipment – The table, cards, and other materials were all professional-grade and clean.

      The Bad:

  • Time Cards – The awkwardness of the time cards is damaging to the flow and sustainability of the game. I was acutely aware of the time throughout the game, and the hassle of getting new cards gave me added motivation to walk from the game.
  • Tipping – In order to remain in compliance with the law, players had to tip the servers and dealers in cash. In practice, that meant keeping a supply of ones in front of you at all times, and these had to be separate from your chips.

Results

Although I sat with an undersized $225 stack, I ran well. I managed to get it all-in with a flopped straight, and two players called me down, each with two pair.

I also busted one of the ladies at the table when her trip queens ran into my deuces full. In two hours, I ran my stack up to $950.

I ended up cashing out for $910. So, on balance, I guess I shouldn’t be complaining much at all.

The post Inside A Texas Poker Club: A Trip Report appeared first on .

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WSOP.com Backs Expanded Online Bracelet Schedule with Big Guarantees

Two $1 million guarantees and another at $500,000 mark a new era for the summer series.

The start of the 2018 World Series of Poker is less than three weeks away and by all accounts it is poised to be the largest ever series held at the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino. A massive schedule featuring 78 gold bracelet events are on tap including the return of fan favorite tournaments the Colossus, the $365 GIANT, the Millionaire Maker and the pro heavy field of the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop.

Get up to $1000 in bonus match with your first deposit at WSOP.com in Nevada

Read the full article on pokerfuse →

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2016 WSOP Runner-Up Gordon Vayo Suing PokerStars Over $700,000 SCOOP Win

The 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up is suing the world’s largest online poker site.

Gordon Vayo, who earned more than $4.6 million finishing second to 2016 WSOP Main Event Champion Qui Nguyen, alleges PokerStars refused to pay him almost $700,000 he won in a Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) event last year, after falsely accusing him of breaching the site’s terms of service by surreptitiously playing the event from inside the United States.

Vayo filed suit with the US District Court Central District of California Western Division on May 2.

According to the complaint, Vayo is a US citizen and Los Angeles, California resident who resides part-time in Ottawa, Canada. He lives in Canada for the purpose playing online poker on sites forced out of the US since 2011. Particularly PokerStars.

Vayo wins PokerStars 2017 SCOOP event

Vayo claims on May 22, 2017, he was part of a chop in the 2017 PokerStars SCOOP’s first event. The five players split up the remaining prize money and left an additional $100,000 for the winner. Vayo ultimately went on to win the event and earned a total of $692,460.

Vayo claims to have transferred as much as $90,000 to other PokerStars players over the next few weeks. Plus, he continued playing on the site. However, when Vayo attempted to withdraw the money on July 25, 2017, he was suddenly notified his account was being frozen. Plus, he was under investigation of suspicious activity.

According to the complaint:

“What ensued was a nearly year-long inquest, during which (PokerStars) engaged in an appalling campaign of harassment, prying into every aspect of Mr. Vayo’s record, demanding Mr. Vayo produce detailed retroactive proof of his location, and even opening meritless investigations into his friends’ accounts, in order to gin up a pretext for not paying Mr. Vayo what he had won.”

PokerStars allegedly lowered the bar

Vayo claims to have previously submitted documents to PokerStars establishing Canadian residency — documents that he says PokerStars approved, allowing him to play on the site to begin with. He then claims PokerStars demanded proof he was in Canada on each day of the tournament in question.

He says he complied, providing evidence that he was in Canada at the time. However, PokerStars allegedly lowered the bar, insisting that despite the evidence he produced, it was “not inconceivable” that he was in the US at some point during the event.

According to the complaint, on April 7, 2018, PokerStars sent Vayo a letter stating its investigation had concluded. The letter said Vayo had failed to produce evidence sufficient enough to rebut PokerStars’ suspicions regarding his location. Therefore, he would not be paid.

Vayo also claims PokerStars threatened to counter-sue him for breach of a provision in its terms of service. The provision requires all legal claims brought against the company be brought on the Isle of Man. According to the complaint, this essentially shields PokerStars from being sued altogether.

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Freerolling relocating US players?

Vayo says he previously set up residency in Rosarito, Mexico and Montreal, Canada to play on PokerStars. In possibly the most inflammatory accusation contained in the complaint, he also alleges PokerStars has been essentially freerolling relocating US players.

He claims the organization happily takes relocating players’ money when they lose. However, it creates reasons not to pay out when they win:

“Since approximately 2011, (PokerStars) has engaged in a practice of approving U.S. citizens and residents for play on the PokerStars.com site, allowing and encouraging them to play on the site, happily taking their money – in many cases for years. Then, after a U.S. citizen or resident wins a significant amount of money on the PokerStars.com site, (PokerStars) conducts a sham investigation into the user’s activities and the location of the user’s access of the site, placing the onus on the player to retroactively prove that it is ‘inconceivable’ that his or her play could have originated from within the United States, in order to gin up a pretext to deny payment. In this way (PokerStars) takes the money of (Vayo) and other users of the PokerStars.com site with impunity, while depriving the same users of their largest winnings if and when they occur.”

Vayo says legal action necessary

Vayo issued a statement to Forbes regarding the suit this week:

“I am deeply disappointed it has come to this, but feel that taking legal action is necessary to protect my rights as well as those of other PokerStars players who are in my situation, but may not have the means to get their message out and protect themselves against the unwarranted bullying tactics that I have experienced during this ordeal.”

PokerStars has not commented publicly on the lawsuit.

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