Atlantic City, as a whole, suffered in the year 2009 because of the tough economy across the country, but it really suffered in the gambling industry as each casino saw a decline in revenue. There is some good news out of Atlantic City though in terms of revenue reports. The month of March saw only a small decline in revenue for the casinos after double digit declines in revenue over a span of a couple of months. The revenue for the casinos fell just 5.6 percent in the month of March for 2010. The casinos saw a revenue of $300.8 million in March of 2010 compared to $318.4 million in March of 2009. The only casino in the city with higher revenue was Harrah’s, according to a report released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

A new, $75 million casino is in the works for Tunica, and Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects is the company that has been selected to design the brand new casino. The companies that chose Askew Nixon was Abston-McKay Ventures LLC and Lakes Entertainment Inc. The casino will be named the Sportsman Casino and Lodge. The design for the brand new casino is scheduled to be complete by the month of October, with construction on the new casino beginning towards the end of the 2010 year, and the casino could open to the public by the end of 2011. A representative from Askew Nixon had the following to say about the company’s biggest deal in a very long time:

Penn National Gaming has reported that it has experienced first quarter revenue of $592.3 million. In a press release from the company, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Penn National Gaming, Peter M. Carlino, had the following to say:

There has been plenty of arguing back and forth between state legislators regarding state revenue shares, renovations, and regulations of Delaware’s three casinos but an agreement has been made regarding table games. Table games in the state of Delaware first made their debut in the Harrington Raceway and Casino at the very end of May, on Memorial Day weekend. A trial run of the new table games at the casino took place four days prior to the casino opening them to the public. The table games available for play include blackjack, roulette, craps and poker. This was called a soft opening, which was required by the state’s lottery office, to allow the casino to fix any problems with the table games and the dealers. Harrington’s CEO, Patti Key, had the following to say:

Designing and building a casino is a large task for the company chosen to complete the job but it is an even tougher job when you are in charge of designing appealing restaurants for new casinos or existing ones that need a fresh start. Designing a restaurant in a strip mall is difficult enough without the added pressure of having it be located in a casino where millions of people will see it each year. Floss Barber is one of those restaurant designers who is responsible for some of the venues located in the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Barber is the chief executive officer and interior designer of Barber Inc. Barber is in the midst of designing the entire SugarHouse Casino, including its entire gaming floor and food and beverage venues.

The height of the 2009 tourism season in Atlantic City runs from April through October no matter what the weather might throw at the region. Atlantic City enjoys such a long tourism season because of its many casinos. The tourism season in 2009 was full of strife though. The United Auto Workers were constantly protesting on the Atlantic City boardwalk in support of the casino dealers and other staff members who were working without a contract. The United Auto Workers won their first election in Atlantic City back in March of 2007. Dealers in the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino and Bally’s Atlantic City voted to organize in 2007 and the officials at these two casinos have decided to appeal the vote. The other two casinos where dealers voted to organize the Caesar’s Atlantic City and Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Mount Airy, one of the newer casinos in the state of Pennsylvania, wants table games on its floors and they have applied for those games through the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board in the month of March. Mount Airy first received its gaming license for slot machines in 2007 and has since applied for table games. A hearing occurred in March of 2010, following a couple of postponements, with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to determine whether or not the casino is fit enough to operate table games. Table games in Pennsylvania became legal early in 2010 when the state’s General Assembly approved their use in an effort to close a $200 million budget gap.

“The world has changed, and Atlantic City has changed. In 1978, Atlantic City desperately needed hotel rooms and nightclubs and the amenities that go along with a first-class hotel. Five hundred rooms made all the sense in the world. But where we are today, you can go to Philadelphia or Delaware or other jurisdictions where the entry fee to build is much lower,” Whelan said. “You can get in for tens of millions of dollars. In Atlantic City, 500 rooms costs you $800 million, minimum, and nobody’s writing checks for $800 million or $1 billion nowadays.”

The plans for Foxwoods Casino, to be built in the state of Pennsylvania in the City of Brotherly Love, have been outlined by Stephen A. Wynn. Wynn will visit the state capital, Harrisburg, to outline to the Gaming Control Board his plans for the Foxwoods Casino. Wynn is the chairman of Wynn Resorts. Wynn claims that the casino he wishes to build in Philadelphia will be the “cutest casino you have ever seen.” Wynn Resorts signed a letter of intent that outlines their plans to help the struggling Foxwoods Casino project. Foxwoods is at risk of losing its license because of delays since receiving its license in 2006, only one of two licenses awarded by the city of Philadelphia.

Poker continues to grow as one of the most popular card games in not only the United States, but also around the world. As it continues to grow in popularity, players of the game meet at friend’s houses, their own houses, or at casinos to play. They can also play poker on the Internet if they don’t wish to face the crowds at casinos. Casinos are located all over the country but are most popular in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Las Vegas, Nevada. It is illegal for patrons to play the game of poker, especially in a casino, if the player is under the age of 21. Poker players can experience the emotions of exhilaration, excitement, anticipation, apprehension, and sometimes fear when playing poker in a casino for the first time.