{"id":40085,"date":"2020-08-26T03:35:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T03:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/?p=40085"},"modified":"2020-08-26T17:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T17:44:00","slug":"breaking-harrahs-philadelphia-wsop-poker-room-closed-for-good-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pokerscout.com\/breaking-harrahs-philadelphia-wsop-poker-room-closed-for-good-sources-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking: Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia WSOP Poker Room Closed for Good, Sources Say"},"content":{"rendered":"

The live poker room<\/strong> at Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia<\/strong> appears to be permanently closed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to various social media posts by current and former employees<\/strong>, they received word about the decision on August 11<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Harrah\u2019s Philly poker room closed for good?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Various poker room employees at Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia posted on social media about losing their poker-dealing jobs. On the condition of anonymity a now-former employee (\u201cJake\u201d) discussed what\u2019s happening at Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia poker room with Play Pennsylvania<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He confirmed that it is closed<\/strong> with no plans to reopen<\/strong> the room. Management\u2019s calls to poker room employees<\/strong> came via Zoom<\/strong> on August 11. Jake said that they did not offer<\/strong> anyone positions within the organization. However, Harrah\u2019s did say if they had experience in tables games<\/strong> they could apply, just the same as anyone else coming in off the street, for openings.<\/p>\n

Those who asked if any classes<\/strong> would be offered for table games did not get a clear \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d answer.<\/p>\n

Silent on social media<\/span><\/h2>\n

Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia poker room\u2019s Twitter handle<\/a> no longer exists. Its Facebook page<\/a> has not been updated since March 13<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Asked whether the poker room closure was permanent, a customer service representative at Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s closed as of now. We don\u2019t have a date of reopening.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

World Series of Poker-branded room<\/span><\/h2>\n

Harrah\u2019s opened a live poker room in 2010<\/strong> on the floor below the main gaming floor near where race track betting takes place.<\/p>\n

On April 26, 2019 after extensive renovations, Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia became home to the World Series of Poker<\/strong> poker room. Harrah\u2019s corporate parent company\u00a0Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> owns the popular World Series of Poker brand.<\/p>\n

Last fall, Harrah\u2019s underwent a number of major renovations<\/a> including the new sportsbook, The Book<\/strong> and a Topgolf Swing Suite<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

General Manager\u00a0Chris Albrecht<\/strong> told the <\/a>Philadelphia Business Journal<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe poker room was moved from racing level to casino floor to have all gaming action on one floor. It was part of the re-imagination of the back of the casino with new sportsbook and Topgolf.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Parx<\/strong> has the largest live poker room<\/strong> in PA with 48<\/strong> tables.<\/p>\n

Harrah\u2019s had 27 tables<\/strong> and a full slate of poker promotions and tournaments. On their website they boasted<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWSOP Poker Room spreads Texas Hold\u2019em, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha. With non-stop action and a range of blinds, even the most discriminating Philadelphia gambler will find a perfectly suited game for their taste. Limit games range from $2-4-6 to $20-40, while No Limit games range from $1-2 to $10-25.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The following pictures were taken at the vacated Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia poker room in July, 2020.<\/p>\n

\"Live
\n\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Poker rooms in PA still closed<\/span><\/h2>\n

In mid-March<\/strong> all twelve Pennsylvania casinos closed<\/strong> to slow the spread of coronavirus<\/strong>. Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia reopened on June 26<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When the casinos home county moved to the \u201cgreen phase\u201d they could reopen at reduced capacity<\/strong> (up to 50%). The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board laid out updated health and safety protocols which included, to start, that poker rooms could not operate<\/strong> due to players handling cards and chips. They said they\u2019d monitor and adjust according to guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.<\/p>\n

PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach<\/strong>\u00a0gave this update to Play Pennsylvania<\/em> on Aug. 25:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts\u2019 guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely which would be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Online poker in PA<\/span><\/h2>\n

While live poker is off the menu for the time being (and perhaps permanently at some casinos, like Harrah\u2019s), PA poker players still have legal, regulated online poker<\/strong><\/strong> as an option. PokerStars PA<\/strong>\u00a0was the first online poker operator to launch in PA<\/a>, doing so in November 2019. The lone operator has done well in Pennsylvania, peaking in April with revenue of nearly $5.3 million<\/strong> when all casinos were still shuttered.<\/p>\n

And while live poker rooms remain closed, online poker revenue at PokerStars has come down to a reasonable yet healthy $3.0 million<\/strong> for July. But it looks as if PA will soon have more online poker options in\u00a0partypoker\u00a0<\/strong>(through BetMGM\/ROAR Digital) and ironically, WSOP.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While no timeline has been announced for the launch of WSOP online in PA, we know regulatory approval is underway. That makes for rather unfortunate timing for Caesars\u2019 live poker partner to fold, it would seem. But in 2020, anything is possible.<\/p>\n

Note: This is a developing story. PlayPennsylvania will provide the latest updates on the Harrah\u2019s poker room closing as they become available.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Breaking: Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia WSOP Poker Room Closed for Good, Sources Say appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The live poker room at Harrah\u2019s Philadelphia appears to be permanently closed. 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