At Harrah's, customers had their fingers crossed that the impasse between Gov. Rendell and Senate Republicans would be resolved soon.
When Dee Karakaedos, 47, of Roxborough, heard that the casinos might go dark, she thought, "Oh, my God, what am I going to do? I might have to stay home and clean," she said as she fed coins into a glowing machine.
"It's upsetting," said Karakaedos, who also visits Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack in Bensalem, usually three or four nights a week.
"So many people enjoy coming here, especially the elderly," Karakaedos said at Harrah's. "It gives them something to do. It's air-conditioned."
Though the casinos don't employ state workers, they can't operate without Revenue Department staff members who monitor cash flow through the slots and ensure that the state gets its cut. Ripples caused by their furlough will be felt by casino staff from cocktail waitresses to sales clerks.
Carol Malesky, of Prospect Park, who works in Harrah's gift shop, said some employees who might be affected were offered alternative jobs at Harrah's, such as housekeeping, or were told they could use vacation time in order to be paid. Malesky took two days off.
Daniel Williams, a maintenance worker, is among those who will stay on the job, but some of his coworkers "will be eating soup sandwiches," if the budget isn't passed soon, he said.
A few employees of the adjacent track, which opens its second season of harness racing today, wondered if the casino shutdown might be good for their business.
"People won't know the casino is closed, so when they get here they'll come on over," said server Ashley Carter, of Philadelphia.
