|
|
#1
09-01-2007, 04:35 AM
|
|||
|
|||
FL Poker rooms revenue up 60%
Since the new limits the state's poker rooms are making significantly more loot. I play at the Kennel Club and I wonder if the $1 million/month they're making will lead to any amenities, lowered drink/food costs or maybe even a bathroom with working sinks. It certainly hasn't helped the dealers if my conversations with them have been honest.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...aws0901nbsep01,0,808425.story?track=rss South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com Poker rooms across Florida flush with cash under new laws Poker rooms across state hit jackpot with new laws By Jon Burstein South Florida Sun-Sentinel September 1, 2007 The state dealt a new hand to licensed poker rooms in July and it has meant full houses for many of them. Revenue at Florida's 18 state-regulated card rooms shot up almost 60 percent from June to July, hitting what is thought to be an all-time high of $7.7 million, according to preliminary state figures. Fueling the explosive growth are laws that took effect July 1 increasing the betting limits and letting the rooms stay open seven days a week. Poker receipts at both of Broward County's horse tracks doubled in a month, while the Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach is close to becoming the first licensed poker room to generate $1 million in a single month. "[The laws] changed the game entirely," said Seth Feder, a poker dealer at The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park. "Before it was for fun. Now you'll see about 50-60 percent of it on a more professional level. They'll come out, and this is what they do for a living." The new laws increased the betting limits in certain games from $2 to $5 and allowed no-limit Texas Hold 'em games with a maximum $100 buy-in. In addition, the pari-mutuels no longer have to shut down their poker rooms on days when they have no live races or jai-alai performances. With the state taxing card room revenue at 10 percent, the new poker laws could generate up to an extra $3 million for Florida if receipts stay at their current level. While poker's surge in popularity has helped pari-mutuels statewide, the receipts at Broward's three racetrack casinos are a small percentage of their business when compared with slot machines. Slots generated $18.5 million in revenue in July with half that money going to public education. The higher stakes spurred a noticeable migration of online poker players from their homes to the card rooms, said Frank Greentree, who locally hosts the radio show Poker Talk America. The allure was fleeting for some online players who since have returned to their computers to play, he said. The Palm Beach Kennel Club added 20 poker tables in July to accommodate demand, giving it the largest card room on the East Coast outside of Atlantic City, said Noah Carbone, the card room's director. The room can hold up to 600 players, which it did the day the law took effect. "The bump comes from the part of the public we weren't reaching before because of the [low] limits before," Carbone said. "We believe they were playing home games, cruise ships and on the Internet." Poker revenue at Broward's four card rooms skyrocketed from $776,000 in June to $1.33 million in July. Leading the way were The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park and Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach. Both saw their poker revenue more than double with The Isle's numbers jumping from $280,300 to $635,000, while Gulfstream's revenue went up from $124,400 to $294,100. The two horse tracks previously had been limited to operating only on racing days, which meant no more than four days a week. Both debuted new, more spacious poker rooms earlier this year. Gulfstream Park's 20-table room is in the space formerly devoted to a nightclub and track officials are considering adding more tables, said Mike Mullaney, the track's spokesman. The Isle's new room sits in the center of the second story of its $160 million casino building. Poker revenue is more than four times higher than last year when the track's poker room was in its aging grandstand. "On the weekends we have all 34 tables going at one time," said Doug Shipley, The Isle's general manager. "We've had to triple our payroll for poker." Even on Wednesday afternoon, The Isle had more than 200 players around tables – some joking around, others focused on their cards with blank expressions and the losers waiting to get back in the game. Larry Davis, 57, of Boca Raton, left the tables at the Seminole casinos once the stakes went up at The Isle. He now plays poker at The Isle three or four times a week. "I never came here before July 1," he said. One Broward card room has been struggling with the new law though. Dania Jai-Alai's room generated $171,900 in July compared with $240,700 in July 2006. Dania Jai-Alai used to have an advantage over the horse tracks because its poker room would close only one day a week. "All of the sudden everyone was running seven days a week offering the same thing," said John Knox, Dania Jai-Alai's general manager. "Competitively it spread the poker players all over the place." Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming Center in Hallandale Beach had a jump in poker receipts from $200,200 in June to $228,700 in July. Mardi Gras hopes to debut a new poker room in October, increasing its number of tables from 30 to 42, said Dan Adkins, the track's chief gambling executive. Shipley said he's optimistic that poker will continue to take off. "We're just starting to see the fruits of our labor now," he said. 
|
|
#5
09-01-2007, 09:36 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: FL Poker rooms revenue up 60%
I laughed my ass off the other day when I was in the nasty bathroom taking a leak. The janitor came in and sprayed airfresher and started to leave. I laughed and said "Do you realize that you can be replaced by an automatic air freshner?" He said "We have one but it only goes off every half hour, and they don't pay me enough to clean this."
|
|
#6
09-02-2007, 09:58 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: FL Poker rooms revenue up 60%
I'm playing the $800 today at PBKC. Does it start at noon or 1 and how many people expected.
|
|
#7
09-02-2007, 09:30 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: FL Poker rooms revenue up 60%
[ QUOTE ]
Spleen... I'm still wondering who you are....I'm playing the $800 Main on Sunday [/ QUOTE ] Missed it. Got my in-laws in town this week-end. I should find out who you are too. Don't want to get in a big pot w/ a 2+2er [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
|
|
#8
09-02-2007, 11:49 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: FL Poker rooms revenue up 60%
Rough day for me Spleen..card dead ...with guy to my right stealing my button play and cutoff play every orbit...two guys to my left won pots early and were strong players.....70th....they had 130 runners with first and second paying 30k and 20k respectively...not sure of the rest of the payouts..
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
