PEI - VLTs being put away
Monday, December 11, 2006
CDPEC to lose 15-20 machines as poker comes in
By Ron Ryder, The Guardian
The addition of poker tables to the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre could mean a reduction in Prince Edward Island’s overall number of video lottery terminals.
Provincial Treasurer Mitch Murphy said government is going to need to make some space in the CDPEC gaming hall and would have to move between 15 and 20 VLTs out of the building.
He said those machines would be retired, following the policy of mothballing unused VLTs that was introduced when large-scale gambling was brought to the Charlottetown race track.
“Any machines that come out of the racino as a result of creating space for the tables to go in, those machines will be retired,” Murphy said.
He said the policy of retiring unused machines has already led to 33 gaming machines being taken out of service since the CDPEC opened.
Murphy is defending the province’s decision to allow Texas Hold ‘Em poker to be played at the CDPEC.
He said the game has been widely played at unregulated games around the province and the CDPEC’s majority owner, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, is responding to market demand by adding the game to its offerings.
The treasurer said ALC first requested permission to bring Texas Hold ‘Em to the track last spring and that government requested the gaming corporation do some more homework before granting its approval.
Murphy said ALC has done a business plan for the poker operation at the facility.
“That can be made available at the appropriate time,” he said.
Liberal Leader Robert Ghiz said government seems to be on a course of operating a full-out casino where it once promised it was adding a few gaming machines in order to improve the finances of the harness racing operations.
“I remember originally they said they were just looking at VLTs,” he said.
“VLTs became slots and it’s cards now.”
Murphy said he doesn’t see the menu getting any broader. He said there has been no request and no discussion about adding games like blackjack or craps to the CDPEC.
“They conducted some surveys and did some focus groups to determine that the interest was there for — in this case — Texas Hold ‘Em,” he said.
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