Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006

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Province approves poker tables for racino

By Sarah Polson

Prince Edward Island Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy confirmed this week that the province approved the addition of Texas Hold'em poker tables at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre (CDPEC).

The CDPEC already offers standardbred harness racing, dining and casino gaming. The four new poker tables will be added within the next three to four months.

Murphy told media the tables were allowed in order to meet customers' demands. To fit them in, approximately 15 to 25 of the casino's 225 video lottery and slot machines will be removed.

The CDPEC is run by the Atlantic Lottery Corperation which estimated the poker tables would generate net profits of $100,000 to $125,000 per year. The CDPEC, which opened in August 2005, lost $2.4 million in its first year.

Initially the racino was only approved for racing and video lottery machines. It has since asked for permission to add slot machines and now Texas Hold'em games to try to boost profits.

The tables were approved for Texas Hold'em games only. Murphy said other card games could be available in the future if another form of poker becomes popular since the infrastructure will be there, but he didn't think craps or roulette were a possibility.

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