AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker TITLE: Racino hopes to cash in on resurgence of poker games DATE: 10:57 AM ----- BODY: Texas Hold'em poker tables opened Monday at the CDPEC amid hope of dealing
the Charlottetown gambling facility a financial boost. Mike Randall of
Atlantic Lottery Corporation said poker is expected to generate about
$100,000 a year in revenue while adding another $350,000 to salaries and
benefits. He said 23 dealers have been hired - all Islanders - at $10.59/hr
to deal the cards. Whether more or less dealers are actually needed remains
to be seen. Last year, nearly a dozen people were laid off at the
Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre because of sluggish sales.
Other employees were told their hours would be trimmed from 40 per week to
32. "It's a fluctuation business depending on the demand and tourism season
being what it is - it's up and down,'' said Randall.
Still, the popularity of this new addition to the racino has been rapidly
increasing over the past few years across North America. "People have asked
why did it take so long to launch Texas Hold'em (at the CDPEC) - it's being
played in every bar across P.E.I. now,'' said Randall. He said the addition
of poker to the gaming facility, which currently features harness racing and
VLTs, required an infrastructure investment of about $200,000. Randall said
there are no plans at this time to add any new games, like black jack or
roulette. Andrew Dunning, 23, of Charlottetown seems to feel his new job as
a poker dealer has a good level of security. He said there is a huge market
for Texas Hold'em on P.E.I. "I think it was about time that we did get
something like this in here,'' he said. "I think it will be great through
the summer and in the Old Home Week.'' Rohit Talwar, senior supervisor for
poker at the CDPEC, said more than 100 people applied for a dealer position.
He said most dealers should get two or three shifts a week. To avoid any
perception of unfair advantage, the dealers will not be allowed to play on
any of the four poker tables at any time, said Randall. Initially, the
tables will be available to players from 4 p.m. to midnight from Monday
through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 2 a..m. on Fridays and Saturdays. These
hours of operations may change depending on player demand. --------