Offering bets on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and college athletics

Harrah's ready to take plunge into sports betting Tuesday

The first 1,000 people to place wagers Thursday will receive a commemorative “The Book” T-shirt, according to the release. Harrah’s “Total Rewards” members will also earn points on every sports wager made.
2019-01-21
Reading time 3 min
Located in the back of the casino floor previously reserved for “The Block,” the newest addition to Harrah’s Philadelphia is equipped with 19 “better-than-stadium” lounge seats, 11 high-top tables, various bar seating and more than 45 large screen televisions.

Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack will open “The Book” for sports betting Tuesday as part of a two-day operational test period, the company announced Friday.

“We are excited to bring sports betting to Delaware County and allow our guests from the tri-state area to experience our property in a whole new way,” said Harrah’s Philadelphia Senior Vice President and General Manager Chris Albrecht in a release. “With our gaming offering, live harness racing, our event center, award-winning restaurants and now the sportsbook, Harrah’s Philadelphia remains a must visit destination in the Philadelphia region.”

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold testing on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 p.m. to midnight, with a grand opening scheduled for noon on Thursday if all goes well.

“Our staff will be there during these periods of time to make sure the systems are operating correctly, to make sure the (Harrah’s) staff is prepared to handle the customers, that all issues that deal with handling problem gambling are being properly addressed,” said PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach. “We’re also then looking at the end of the gaming day counting of the receipts.”

Harbach said wagers and payouts will be live during the two-day “soft open.” About a half-dozen PGCB employees will be on hand to address any issues, he said.

“They’ll go through the two days of the period and we’ll look at that, and it that goes well for the two days, we’ll sign off on them for their regular hours, which would be the following day, Thursday,” he said.

The sportsbook will offer betting on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, and college athletics with a variety of betting options, including straight bets, parlay bets, total bets, in-game betting and more.

The first 1,000 people to place wagers Thursday will receive a commemorative “The Book” T-shirt, according to the release. Harrah’s “Total Rewards” members will also earn points on every sports wager made.

Located in the back of the casino floor previously reserved for “The Block,” the newest addition to Harrah’s Philadelphia is equipped with 19 “better-than-stadium” lounge seats, 11 high-top tables, various bar seating and more than 45 large screen televisions, according to the release. Food and beverages tailored specifically for game days will also be available.

An original presentation made to the PGCB indicated The Book would be a 4,322 square foot area adjacent to table games and feature an odds board, six teller windows, self-betting kiosks and two horseracing terminals.

The sportsbook will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday. Patrons must be 21 years of age or older to enter the casino floor and to place bets.

Adding sports wagering to its stable of slots and table games was expected to create 10 new permanent jobs, according to Harrah’s license application. The company submitted a hiring plan with the application that it said promotes pulling from “diverse groups and Commonwealth residents” in staffing those positions.

Harrah’s indicated in its application that it intends to offer on-site sports betting, as well as mobile and interactive sports wagering at its Chester location. To implement the new offerings, the casino had expected to enter into agreements with Caesars Interactive Entertainment LLC as operator of the interactive sports wagering services, and Scientific Games Corporation as the provider of equipment and the sports wagering engine.

“The launch of retail sports betting at Harrah’s Philadelphia is another exciting milestone, showcasing Caesars Entertainment’s commitment to leading this expanding industry,” said Christian Stuart, EVP of Gaming and Interactive Entertainment for Caesars Entertainment. “The Caesars brands powered by SG Digital technology will be a powerful player as we expand across the U.S. in retail and mobile sports betting (pending regulatory approval).”

Pennsylvania casino operators have been able to apply for the $10 million sports betting licenses since the first regulations were approved at the end of May following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened up sports betting to all states.

Harrah’s was only the third of Pennsylvania’s 13 casinos to apply for a $10 million sports betting license in September and was approved in October. It joins four other casinos currently operating sports betting: Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and Parx Casino in Bensalem.

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