Harrah S Chester

In some ways, you could almost say that harness racing driver Tim Tetrick owns the racetrack at Harrah's Chester. A resident of nearby Runnemede, N.J., the 30-year-old Tetrick is the all-time leading driver in wins and purses at the track since it opened in September 2006. Tetrick's 1,537 victories are 425 more than second-place George Napolitano Jr., and his $25.28 million tops runner-up Napolitano by $10.21 million. Racing returns Friday to Chester, with a special 6:30 p.m. post time.

The proposed Valley Forge Casino Resort in Montgomery County was deemed enough of a competitive threat that the owner of local gambling power Parx challenged its specialized state license in court - a process that stalled construction for two years. That's all ancient history, say Valley Forge's backers, who announced Monday that construction was now proceeding nicely and that the new venue - the region's fourth casino - would debut in the spring. That's when patrons will be able to gamble there as long as they stay the night or spend at least $10 at the Valley Forge Convention Center's other amenities, including its restaurants and retail shops.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sands Casino Resort - which in January eclipsed Parx as the leader in table-game revenue for the fourth time since July 2010's start of blackjack and poker in the state - marked the grand opening Thursday of the latest arrivals to its new shopping mall. The Shoppes at Sands, a high-end outlet mall, is the first in a Pennsylvania casino. A half-dozen stores opened Nov. 1, followed by staggered openings over the last 3 1/2 months. Four more shops were added Thursday: Coach Factory, Chico's, Peeps & Co., and Corningware Corelle & More.

In an effort to expand its reach as regional casino competition intensifies, Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack becomes Harrah's Philadelphia Saturday. The name change, part of a rebranding that includes nongambling offerings, has everything to do with the casino's reaching a broader audience, and nothing to do with distancing it from its host city, said Harrah's general manager Ron Baumann. "It's all about how you define the market. Philly is the market we are after," he said during a tour of the casino this week.

Anyone involved in either sport knows that at the racetrack or in the ring, it helps to have the horses. The big difference, of course, is that on the track the four-legged athletes on the lead coming down the stretch are trying to run away from their pursuers. Two-legged fighters, as often as not, are meeting their opponents head-on. It will be an interesting juxtaposition tonight at Harrah's Chester. It is not only the first date of a new harness racing season, but also the second professional boxing card staged there by co-promoters Joey Eye and David Feldman.

In a letter to The Inquirer, Michael Krop of Sewell said he did not have much luck during his recent visit to our casino, Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack ("Slots are bandits," April 30). He attempted to generalize his singular experience as one that was representative of our establishment. On behalf of the 1,200 employees of Harrah's Chester, I take exception to his comments. At Harrah's, we pride ourselves on the highest level of gaming integrity, service excellence, dining quality and variety.

A Delaware County casino is out $1,500 after an alleged theft from a roulette table, state police said. Daniel Robert Paul of Prospect Park swiped six $500 chips off the table at Harrah's Chester, police said. When the chips turned up missing during a routine check, casino security reviewed surveillance cameras and contacted state police. After leaving the table, Paul, 41, and Tara Lynn Foglio, 35, of Ridley Township, headed to their car in a casino garage. Foglio returned to redeem three chips for $1,500 in cash, according to police.

Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced Wednesday that its Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack property in Delaware County will be renamed Harrah's Philadelphia, effective May 12. The new name coincides with the unveiling of the casino's most recent expansion that includes several new restaurants and 200 new slot machines to bring its total inventory to about 3,000 slots. Last month, the casino reported the largest decrease in slots revenue — minus 7.6 percent — among Pennsylvania's 11 gambling halls.

TWENTY floors above Broad and Spring Garden streets, local developer Bart Blatstein stood on the windy rooftop of the former State Office Building that he owns, gazed southward at the Inquirer/Daily News building, which he also owns, and laid out his plans for a casino/entertainment complex there. The clock-tower building would become a hotel, he said Thursday. The casino would occupy the block of Callowhill Street between 15th and 16th, with a commanding view of Center City, and would be connected to parking on both sides by bridges, he said.

When the history of gaming in Philadelphia is written, developer Bart Blatstein deserves a mention in the prologue. In 1986, Blatstein bought a waterfront parcel on the Delaware River for $2.3 million, an investment many wrote off as foolhardy. Eight years later, the state was abuzz with rumors of riverboat gambling. Casino operators were lining up at Blatstein's door, trying to pry the land from him. Bally's got the 22-acre parcel for more than $60 million and, through a series of transactions, passed it on to local investors in the Foxwoods Casino deal.

In an effort to expand its reach as regional casino competition intensifies, Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack becomes Harrah's Philadelphia Saturday. The name change, part of a rebranding that includes nongambling offerings, has everything to do with the casino's reaching a broader audience, and nothing to do with distancing it from its host city, said Harrah's general manager Ron Baumann. "It's all about how you define the market. Philly is the market we are after," he said during a tour of the casino this week.

Caesars Entertainment Inc. announced Wednesday that its Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack property in Delaware County will be renamed Harrah's Philadelphia, effective May 12. The new name coincides with the unveiling of the casino's most recent expansion that includes several new restaurants and 200 new slot machines to bring its total inventory to about 3,000 slots. Last month, the casino reported the largest decrease in slots revenue — minus 7.6 percent — among Pennsylvania's 11 gambling halls.

When the history of gaming in Philadelphia is written, developer Bart Blatstein deserves a mention in the prologue. In 1986, Blatstein bought a waterfront parcel on the Delaware River for $2.3 million, an investment many wrote off as foolhardy. Eight years later, the state was abuzz with rumors of riverboat gambling. Casino operators were lining up at Blatstein's door, trying to pry the land from him. Bally's got the 22-acre parcel for more than $60 million and, through a series of transactions, passed it on to local investors in the Foxwoods Casino deal.

TWENTY floors above Broad and Spring Garden streets, local developer Bart Blatstein stood on the windy rooftop of the former State Office Building that he owns, gazed southward at the Inquirer/Daily News building, which he also owns, and laid out his plans for a casino/entertainment complex there. The clock-tower building would become a hotel, he said Thursday. The casino would occupy the block of Callowhill Street between 15th and 16th, with a commanding view of Center City, and would be connected to parking on both sides by bridges, he said.

In some ways, you could almost say that harness racing driver Tim Tetrick owns the racetrack at Harrah's Chester. A resident of nearby Runnemede, N.J., the 30-year-old Tetrick is the all-time leading driver in wins and purses at the track since it opened in September 2006. Tetrick's 1,537 victories are 425 more than second-place George Napolitano Jr., and his $25.28 million tops runner-up Napolitano by $10.21 million. Racing returns Friday to Chester, with a special 6:30 p.m. post time.

In some ways, you could almost say that harness racing driver Tim Tetrick owns the racetrack at Harrah's Chester. A resident of nearby Runnemede, N.J., the 30-year-old Tetrick is the all-time leading driver in wins and purses at the track since it opened in September, 2006. Tetrick's 1,537 victories are 425 more than second-place George Napolitano Jr. and his $25.28 million tops runner-up Napolitano by $10.21 million. Racing returns Friday to Chester, with a special 6:30 p.m. post time.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Sands Casino Resort - which in January eclipsed Parx as the leader in table-game revenue for the fourth time since July 2010's start of blackjack and poker in the state - marked the grand opening Thursday of the latest arrivals to its new shopping mall. The Shoppes at Sands, a high-end outlet mall, is the first in a Pennsylvania casino. A half-dozen stores opened Nov. 1, followed by staggered openings over the last 3 1/2 months. Four more shops were added Thursday: Coach Factory, Chico's, Peeps & Co., and Corningware Corelle & More.

The Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem - which in January eclipsed Parx as the state's leader in table-games revenue, according to just-released figures - opened much of its new shopping mall Thursday to eager shoppers. The high-end outlet mall, the first inside a Pennsylvania casino, opened a half-dozen stores Nov. 1, followed by staggered openings of other stores, including Guess and Coach, over the last four months. Twenty-four of 31 stores are now open. A Wednesday night grand opening for the Shoppes at Sands included a fashion show featuring models in clothes sold in the stores there.

These days, it seems every other casino, not to mention states just adding gambling, is in the hunt for the same thing: table-game dealers. Demand has quickly outstripped supply, casino operators say. Hence the predicament Valley Forge Casino Resort faces as Pennsylvania's 11th gambling hall, preparing for a spring debut: Two hundred fifty to 300 dealers will be required when the casino opens in March at the Valley Forge Convention Center,...

Asked to revise a little-noticed statute that the Montgomery County commissioners say robs them of their share of state gaming money, lawmakers in Harrisburg have so far overwhelmingly offered one response: Don't bet on it. "As of now, there really is not much we can do," wrote State Rep. Robert W. Godshall (R., Montgomery) in a recent letter to county officials. His response came days after the commissioners sent their own missive to the county's 23-member delegation in Harrisburg, pleading for help to change the law they blame for cutting the county out of proceeds other counties receive for hosting casinos within their borders.