I hope you all will forgive me for writing about Pennsylvania again, but what the state is going through now…for a gambler like me (although I am an amateur at it) is just fascinating.

A state with Quaker blood…with Amish roaming the countryside…. is going whole hog for casino gambling and it is happening for one reason and one reason only.

The state needs the money.

Badly.

Right now, gambling revenues in PA are approaching totals once reached by Atlantic City and that has got to be frightening to A.C. owners.

Well, so be it.

Let the market offer options and I’ll decide where I want to spend my money.

Anyway, right now, four developers are looking to get in on the action by securing the final gaming license available in the state.

The applicants come from all areas of the state. Two of the groups are vying to bring a casino to the Poconos, an already well-established tourist destination.

The addition of the casino in the Poconos would only increase its chances of becoming a major vacation destination.

Another group is proposing to build a casino at a Holiday Inn near Harrisburg.

Another group is pushing for a casino near the Gettysburg battlefield.

Wherever it goes, I’ll be there.

Last December, Pennsylvania casinos had higher slot revenue than New Jersey casinos for the first time ever.

The casinos have carried that momentum into the new year with lawmakers legalizing table games.

The table games started in July, and the early prognostication is that they will be a major competitor to A.C.

The entire Northeast is experiencing a gaming boom. New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania have already expanded their gaming options.

What’s next? Massachusetts, probably.

And why? Money.

Lawmakers don’t want to raise tax. It’s a sure way to lose their seat. Gambling is the answer, or so they think.

Well, who the hell knows what a legislator thinks, and believe me, I know and talk regularly with a few.

[I take that back. Legislators want to be re elected.]

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on what happens in PA.

Meanwhile, next time I want to talk about Vegas, another of my favorite places.

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