New legislation was approved by voters in June.

It is a momentous move for the state as it girds itself from the onslaught of casino gaming from nearby Pennsylvania. In this case West Virginia officials were frightened of losing tax dollars to new casinos that are popping up in western Pennsylvania is nearby Pittsburgh.

The two casinos that have just added table games with the blessing of the West Virginia Lottery Commission are the Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack.

The Mountaineer, owned by MTR Gaming Group has added 50 table games which are located in the Speakeasy Casino in four newly renovated areas. They will feature the most popular table games in the United States including craps, blackjack, roulette, three-card poker and more. Additional table games are planned to be placed in a pit near the trackside poker room, subject to Lottery Commission approval.

Edson R. (Ted) Arneault, CEO of MTR Gaming Group, stated, "With the pending launch of table games and the recent opening of 37 poker tables in October, we are significantly expanding the entertainment offering at Mountaineer and entering a new market that appeals to a broader demographic. The table games market is primarily age 50 and under, and we believe that our offering will attract this new demographic, as well as drive increased play from our existing customers. In addition to the 50 new table games, due to significant demand for poker on weekends, we are adding four more poker tables."

Meanwhile, Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino and Racetrack has added 43 tables. Bob Marshall, president and general manager of the complex, said there’s a “lot of buzz in Pittsburgh and Columbus,” referring to the nearby markets in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

 “This is an extremely exciting day for us. We are now a complete casino destination offering guests a full spectrum of entertainment and amenities 24 hours, 7 days a week,” said Marshall. “We are very pleased with the outcome. The floor looks beautiful and our dealers are anxious to get started,” continued Marshall.

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State and local dignitaries, community leaders and special guests were on-hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Immediately following the ribbon cutting, players took their spots for the first hand of blackjack and inaugural roll of the dice.

Marshall added that with the introduction of table games, Wheeling Island added 500 employees, up from 750 earlier this year, bringing their property-wide total to 1,250 employees. “We will continue our recruiting, hiring and training efforts over the next year. Our next session of dealer training classes will begin January 14 at West Virginia Northern Community College.”

In all, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack now offers 43 table games, 20-table poker room, over 2,000 slot machines, 151-room luxury hotel, the #1 Greyhound Track in the USA (based on purses paid), seven restaurants, 550-seat showroom, meeting and banquet services, gift shop and fitness center.

Wheeling Island provided over $121 million in taxes to the State of West Virginia in 2006 and employs nearly 1,200 associates with $21.4 million in total payroll.

As part of the deal to get table games into casinos, the state will get 35 percent of table games revenue. Additionally, the facilities wanting to have table games have to pony up a yearly $2.5-million license fee to operate the games. Of the state's share of gaming revenue, purses for Thoroughbred and Greyhound racing will get 2.5 percent, while 2 percent will go to the respective breed development funds. Meanwhile, pension plans for racetrack employees will get 4 percent.

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