Different bill, nothing to do with allowing a vote on games there.

You must be confusing the Lottery / Gaming / ABC Board consolidation bill.

obg

I am talking about bill 718 - not the bill you refer to. JUST got off the phone with Senator Snyder again. He said bill 718 for table games was shot down by the Speaker of the House on April 2 because he didn't want to deal with 2 gambling bills in the same legislative session - this bill and the one you mention. Snyder also said that the Speaker hinted he may not be philosophically opposed to the bill, but that it will perhaps get looked at again on May 26 when budgets are reviewed.

I even asked Snyder why this isn't publicized anywhere and he said it's just that they've managed to keep it under wraps from the media so far.

you can search all gambling bills in WV this year at:
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_St...ill_status.cfm

a search for gambling:


You need a new senator, actually the WV session is over, all but going back for the budget.

No, I repeat, NO new bill is needed to allow table games at a WV track, the bill passed 2 +years ago.

There have been votes already in WV at track counties, 3 passed, one failed. NO new bill is need for a second vote only the county commission to be requested to have the vote by the track.

The only gambling bills this past session for gaming were:
The Greenbrier amendment which PASSED
A bill to allow limited poker at bingo locations, NEVER left committee, is THIS the bill you are referring to?

obg

Eh, Snyder is the one sponsoring the bill, I suspect he knows what's up. Supposedly this one is different from 2 years ago in that more money is allocated to the community, school board, etc - as alluded to by this article http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...id/517743.html

He said the Greenbrier bill was different to this one.

I admit I'm not up to speed on 1/1000th of the legal jargon compared to you or others in this forum - I'm just repeating what the man said.

No, you are not repeating or understanding what the "man" said.

That bill is funds and who gets what, with OR without that bill Jefferson County can vote to have table games, the bill is NOT required.

The bill allowing the games is already law.

Read the article, it is to try and make it more "palatable", in other words offering a bigger cut locally if you all would vote yes.

That bill would also give counties that already voted yes a bigger piece as well.

obg

Ok. I read the article. Obviously as you know there are no table games here right now. Help me understand this (we're on the same side right?) Why the hell are they trying to sweeten the pot if, by law, they're permitted to go ahead with whatever deal they had in place prior to the current one being held up?

Because they voted NO the first time, 2 years ago this summer.

Go to the beginning of this thread which is about a possible vote again this summer IF the track requests one.

The other track counties voted yes.

Also, Greenbrier County just voted yes on an older law to allow a limited casino for hotel guests only recently (as did Lewis County though the qualifying building needs converting to a hotel first).

This county is the county is the hold out.

obg

If you mean "they" as in the racetrack (Charles Town Raceway).. they are not allowed. The state law allows table gaming, provided the residents of the country that has a track, votes in favor of allowing table gaming.

As mentioned before.. the last time this was voted on by county residents, the majority of votes in Jefferson Counted voted "Against". It passed in three other counties.

There were thoughts that this new bill, would provide more money for Jefferson County, and thus prompt more people to vote in favor, if the track were to ask for another vote (by law they most wait 2 years).

There has been no word on whether the track was going to make such a request. I would think they were holding out to see what the status of this bill would be, so they could have used that in their favor to lobby the country residents for support.

Folks,

I had the pleasure of visiting Charles Town Racetrack last summer during my vacation. Very nice, a gazillion slot machines, and a very nice, new, clean racetrack. No really, much larger than the large Indian casinos near me. Only three problems: 1) no poker, 2) smoking and heavy thick smokey air everywhere, and 3) I hate slots.

I did my own unscientific survey in Ranson, Charles Town, Shepards College, Harper's Ferry, etc. Unanimously, the locals felt they had "shot themselves in the foot" by not allowing table games (and poker). Unanimously, they said they couldn't wait for the two year limit to expire so they could vote it in this time. I got to assume that Penn National's polling company knows more than me, but I was surprised to hear it might not pass this time.

If I am a small winning player in what I consider a little harder than average games in the poker capitol of the world, Southern California (I am), and if I got a place to stay for free within a very easy walk of Charles Town Races (I do), and if the rake is at not more usury than it is here (how could it?), and if, and this is a big if in the tobacco belt, if the poker room is non-smoking (duh) then...

I think my best poker play would be to help open this room. I have visions of fish fest of massive proportions, so even bottom-middle level players like me got a chance of getting real well, at least for a while. Does anyone have any experience with opening the first poker room in a region (greater DC) like this?

Folks,

I had the pleasure of visiting Charles Town Racetrack last summer during my vacation. Very nice, a gazillion slot machines, and a very nice, new, clean racetrack. No really, much larger than the large Indian casinos near me. Only three problems: 1) no poker, 2) smoking and heavy thick smokey air everywhere, and 3) I hate slots.

I did my own unscientific survey in Ranson, Charles Town, Shepards College, Harper's Ferry, etc. Unanimously, the locals felt they had "shot themselves in the foot" by not allowing table games (and poker). Unanimously, they said they couldn't wait for the two year limit to expire so they could vote it in this time. I got to assume that Penn National's polling company knows more than me, but I was surprised to hear it might not pass this time.

If I am a small winning player in what I consider a little harder than average games in the poker capitol of the world, Southern California (I am), and if I got a place to stay for free within a very easy walk of Charles Town Races (I do), and if the rake is at not more usury than it is here (how could it?), and if, and this is a big if in the tobacco belt, if the poker room is non-smoking (duh) then...

I think my best poker play would be to help open this room. I have visions of fish fest of massive proportions, so even bottom-middle level players like me got a chance of getting real well, at least for a while. Does anyone have any experience with opening the first poker room in a region (greater DC) like this?

This would be truly great - I was so bummed about the vote two years ago, I am really hoping it will pass this time so at least there would be a closer option than AC.

This is off the legislative topic a bit, but...I wonder what kind of room it would be. One one hand, it could become almost all nl with little high stakes action like some of the other West VA rooms. But...MANY people that play 20-40 and 40-80 limit games (and higher) in AC come from DC and VA. I think there is definitely potential for some good action there on the limit front. I hope to see it happen.

Jeff

Some good news:

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con....html?nav=5006

Good news indeed.

from the story:
There were also 2 other related bills that need fighting for:
1. a bill to allow non pro's to deduct losses
2. a bill to allow non profits to hold 2 Texas hold'em tourneys per year

We need TE and PPA to (the WV rep seems silent) to work with us to put a action plan of letters and calls from WV players pushing all 3 bills.

obg

Hey guys an more updates on this? Ive been praing for half a decade for this to come through!

The update is that there is no update.

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con....html?nav=5006

Another vote should be soon:

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con....html?nav=5006

So.. if the bill passes this week. When would the residents of Jefferson county get a chance to vote on whether table games would be permitted at Charles Town?

Good news. Thanks for posting, but it's all up to the people who will hopefully pass it this time so I'll have a new home away from home.

Things are looking better for us NOVA residents... I'm wondering who's going to get it first. Charles town or Delaware.

Update - it was approved now lets hope a vote is called for: http://www.journal-news.net/page/con....html?nav=5006

Hopefully CHarlestown gets poker; it's a closer drive than Delaware for you and me.

I emailed Penn Gaming to inquire if they were considering asking for a referendum based on the new legislation. The response was (the employee was very helpful and courteous) that they are waiting for the Governor to sign the legislation and would consider the options afterwards.

Sorry it’s not much of an update, but at least we should see something new after the legislation gets signed.

Based on my communications Penn Gaming would love to hear from Jefferson county residents about calling for a new vote. So if you are a resident please contact them - corporate@pngaming.com is the email I used - and let them know what you think about requesting a new vote.

Another update with a couple of good tidbits, I had previously not seen in print that Penn would definitely ask for a vote again. I also heard a rumor that the vote was likely to be held in November in order for the turn-out to be higher which makes me think Penn feels that a special referendum would draw a low turn-out and would most likely be defeated. Again that is just a rumor.

I have posted a couple of selected passages from the article - http://www.journal-news.net/page/con...id/520756.html -

State Sen. Herb Snyder and Delegate John Doyle, both D-Jefferson, have planned a town hall meeting 7 to 9 p.m. today at Jefferson High School auditorium to discuss the new bill with the public and answer questions.

"We want table games," said John Finamore, vice president of regional operations for Penn National Gaming Inc., the Wyomissing, Pa.-based company that owns Charles Town Races & Slots.

"There's no question we're going to run (the referendum)," Finamore said in telephone interview Tuesday. "But we have not made a decision on when we're going to run it."

Any updates gentlemen?

I have been checking for updates on the web every morning. I hadn't found anything new since my last post but sure enough this morning I found:

http://www.journal-news.net/page/con....html?nav=5006

Group organizing in support of table games in Jefferson County - A group of Jefferson County residents is working to have the issue of table games placed back on a ballot for local voters, and this time they hope people will vote yes.


It is important if you are a resident of Jefferson County and in support of table games that you contact Penn Gaming and let them know you want it voted on.

I don't think there will be a better opportunity for table gaming in Jefferson County then there is right now.