Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem Has Biggest Gambling Start In Penn.

This past Friday, as previously reported here at CGW, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened to thousands of waiting gamblers. Now the betting figures have been released for opening day, and they dwarfed all other Pennsylvania casino openings.

"Friday was just insane," said Bethlehem Police Captain David Kravatz. he was responding to questions about the amount of people and traffic that were seen at the casino. attendance figures were over 20,000 for each of the three weekend days starting Friday and ending on Sunday.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed the gambling figures from Friday, and at $18.4 million bet, it was nearly double any other casino opening in state history. Harrah's Chester opened with gamblers spending $9.8 million.

The excitement created was good for a town that has been hit hard by the economy. Job loss has been at the forefront for many people, but this past weekend was a time for them to forget their problems, if only for one day.

"You could tell that the mood in the casino was lifting people's spirits," said Warren Kleverent, who arrived at about 6PM on Friday evening, "some people were smiling that have not smiled in a long time."

The fact that the casino opened on a Friday was obviously a factor in the amount of people that showed up. None of the other seven casinos in the state opened on a weekend. Still, the casino owners were happy with the early results.

May 27, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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