The new Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia continues to move toward an opening in early 2021. When that happens, there will be live poker.
According to a casino representative, the new property will feature a new 29-table poker room. No official opening date has been announced as yet.
Live! Philly eyeing mid-January for poker room launch
Earlier today, poker reporter Anthony Cicali additionally tweeted confirmation that Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia will have a poker room. Cicali shared a short video showing movers bringing a poker table into the casino and unwrapping it.
According to Cicali’s sources, “They are looking to launch mid-January.”
Confirmed!!! Philly Live will have a poker room .. here’s first look and inside sources tell me they are looking to launch mid January @LiveCasinoPHL pic.twitter.com/KOQk3itSUt
— Anthony F Cicali III (@EataHoagie) December 9, 2020
When asked, “Will you guys have poker and if so will it be immediately?” via Instagram, a Live! rep responded:
“We will have a poker room, however with covid restrictions, we won’t know until we open.”
The casino was developed and is owned by The Cordish Companies who also operate Xfinity Live! Philadelphia. Like other Philadelphia casinos, Xfinity Live! has temporarily closed due to citywide restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
All Philadelphia casinos must remain closed until Jan. 1, 2021 at the earliest, meaning the opening of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia will not happen until the new year.
Located in the South Philadelphia Stadium Entertainment District, Live! Philly will feature 2,200 slot machines and over 125 table games.
While plans move ahead toward the casino’s grand opening, the PlayLive! Online Casino and FanDuel-powered online sportsbook are already up and running.
PA poker rooms return slowly, continue to face challenges
It has been a challenging year for Pennsylvania poker rooms, all of which were forced to close in mid-March due to the pandemic. Casinos began to reopen over the summer, but the poker rooms remained shut down as dictated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board‘s COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols.
It wasn’t until early October that some of the poker rooms began submitting reopening plans to the PGCB.
Five rooms reopened in late October and early November. They included the rooms at Mohegan Sun Pocono, Mount Airy Casino, The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, and Rivers Casino Philadelphia.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia opened its poker room as well, although the citywide restrictions forced the casino to close once again on Nov. 20.
Parx Casino in Bensalem plans to reopen the state’s largest poker room on Dec. 15.
The poker rooms at Hollywood Casino, Presque Isle Downs, and Wind Creek Casino have all remain shuttered. A representative from Wind Creek informed PlayPennsylvania in late November the casino had no update to provide regarding when the poker room might reopen.
Meanwhile one of the closed poker rooms, the WSOP-branded one at Harrah’s Philadelphia, will not be reopening. In August it became known that Harrah’s intended to close its poker room permanently.
For the latest on PA poker room reopenings and plans, visit our live updates page.
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