Posted By: Brad Martin

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press WriterTue Nov 14, 11:48 AM ET

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, opened Tuesday to a shower of confetti and rain as the state embarked on its ambitious plan to have gamblers pay for cuts in property taxes.
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Hundreds of gamblers — mostly senior citizens — poured into the casino as the doors were opened and occupied most of its nearly 1,100 seats in less than 10 minutes.

Inside, Wilkes-Barre car dealership manager Vince Esposito was one of the first to start playing, putting a $20 bill into a Double Powerball machine. "That's entertainment," he said as he pushed the button. Right beside him, Sharon Chapman of Summit Hill put in $20 and hit for $50 within two minutes.

The Mohegan Indian tribe of Connecticut, owner of the Pocono Downs harness racing complex in Plains Township outside Wilkes-Barre, spent $70 million on a slots parlor that includes two gambling floors with nearly 1,100 machines, a bar, and a food court with three restaurants.

While the building can't measure up to the glitz and glamor of gambling palaces in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, N.J., it doesn't have to. Hundreds showed up early Tuesday, lured by the novelty and convenience of all-hours legalized gambling in Pennsylvania.

Jean Ruddy, a retiree from Scranton, was in line Tuesday, waiting with her husband, Tom, since about 7:30 a.m. in a foggy drizzle. An avid slots player who visits Atlantic City about once a month, Ruddy said she was looking forward to having a slots casino so close to home.

She hoped that the machines might be a little more generous on their first day. "If I'm doing well, I'll come quite a bit," she said.

Mike O'Donnell, 37, of Bloomsburg, also liked his chances on the first day and brought with him $100 to gamble.

"It will be a little loose," said O'Donnell. "You don't want to make it too hard or people will say it's not worth it."

Before the opening, the crowd became anxious and impatient while Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll spoke, with one person shouting, "Let's gamble!" and Knoll replying, "One minute and you can gamble."

Although Gov. Ed Rendell hailed the casino opening as an important first step in delivering property tax relief to Pennsylvanians, casino opponents predicted an increase in crime and other social ills.

"I have story after story after story of real people who would not have done the things they did, but gambling became very convenient for them," said Dianne M. Berlin, head of CasinoFreePa, an anti-gambling group. "Convenience gambling is the worst gambling."

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gave Mohegan Sun permission to open after two successful dry runs on Friday and Sunday nights. The test nights, which featured an invitation-only crowd of gamblers, brought in a total of $95,049. Of that amount, 34 percent, or $32,317, was earmarked for property tax relief, as prescribed by state law.

The tribe, which operates a gigantic casino in Connecticut and paid $280 million for Pocono Downs in 2004, plans a second phase of development that will nearly double the number of slot machines and add retail shops, a nightclub and other amenities.

When fully operational with 2,000 machines, the slots parlor projects it will gross $230 per machine, per day, for total annual revenues of $167.9 million.

Gambling regulators awarded conditional slots licenses to Mohegan Sun and five other horse-racing tracks earlier this fall. It expects to award as many as six more licenses — one to an established resort and five to standalone slots parlors — in December.

The state plans to use gambling revenues to cut taxes for homeowners and workers who pay Philadelphia's wage tax, fatten horse-racing purses, and support a rent rebate program for senior citizens.

"We have a brand-new industry in Pennsylvania," said gubernatorial spokeswoman Kate Philips, "and the value of it will be exceedingly evident over the coming months as people begin to get jobs in the gaming industry and over the coming years as they begin to see their property taxes reduced dramatically."

Under state law, slot machines can pay out a minimum of $85 for every $100 wagered, meaning that plenty of gamblers will leave Mohegan Sun on Tuesday with lighter wallets.

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On the Net:

Casino: http://www.poconodowns.com/

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: http://www.pgcb.state.pa.us/

CasinoFreePa: http://www.casinofreepa.org/

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