My, the Casino Journal misses one day of work, out with the stomach flu, and all hell breaks loose.

First comes the news that House Democrats, who figure to have a 102-101 majority over Republicans when the new Legislature convenes in January, plan to offer a bill that would legalize table games in Pennsylvania's casinos, all but one of which have yet to open: "Rep. Bill DeWeese, who is expected to become speaker of the House in January, is drafting a bill that would legalize poker, blackjack and other table games Pennsylvania's gambling halls. Under current law, only slot machines are allowed in Pennsylvania's gambling parlors. [Mr.] DeWeese's chief of staff, Michael Manzo, dismissed suggestions that table games could be more harmful than slot machines. 'There is no practical difference between putting $20 in a slot machine and $20 on a blackjack table,' Manzo said."

This shouldn't come as a big surprise. House Dems, including Mr. DeWeese and his departed sidekick, Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver Falls, introduced the same bill in February 2005, just seven months after the 2004 gaming law was approved by the Legislature. It went nowhere. Time will tell if this is another dead fish, or if it will garner some interest on account of West Virginia's pursuit of table games.

And in case you're wondering, the P-G's unscientific poll on the issue says the self-selected voters are in favor of table games.

... Next comes the news that not one, but two of the resorts initially interested in a slots parlor have dropped out of the race. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County withdrew its application for a casino license yesterday: "The posh resort had been interested in operating a 500-machine slots parlor ever since the state's expansion of legalized gambling was approved in mid-2004. Its officials announced yesterday, however, that they did not feel confident enough of profitability to proceed. Nemacolin's withdrawal comes a month before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was to rule on its license application and a month after Seven Springs Mountain Resort similarly canceled its casino plans."

Seven Springs -- owned by the Nutting family, the same family that is a plurality owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates -- said it couldn't arrange an ownership agreement that would have satisfied both the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and Major League Baseball, which forbids sports owners from also owning a casino. Nemacolin, meanwhile, said the main sticking point was the provision in the 2004 gaming law that tries to restrict walk-up gamblers at the resort casinos by requiring the gamblers to either be overnight guests or to spend at least $25 somewhere else at the resort before they play the slots.

For Nemacolin, the writing was on the wall earlier in the month, when resort officials met with the gaming board to discuss how, exactly, the $25 provision would work. Would the resort have to make sure the would-be customer made a $25 purchase first, then gambled later? Do they have to spend $25 each day? Or once per weekend visit? Or maybe once a year (Nemacolin's preference)? The intent of the law was to make sure that only resort patrons are playing the slots, but the effect of the law was that Nemacolin or any other resort would have had to either a) set up some kind of computer system that collects credit card information from the cash registers all over the resorts, then sends that information to the casino, letting casino personnel know who is allowed to gamble and who isn't. Or b) force customers to stand in line while casino personnel check their paper receipts from that day and see if they add up to $25.

Either way, it's a real pain.

That's bad news to resort patrons who were hoping to feed the slots, not to mention the Laurel Highland tourism industry, which just two months ago was looking at two casinos in its mountainous corridor, and now is looking at zero. But it's good news for The Meadows and the eventual winner of the three-way race in Pittsburgh, which will see less competition for the casino dollar.

... More from the P-G: Isle of Capri disputes a gaming board report that shows it would generate the least revenue of the three competitors for the Pittsburgh slot machine license; activists want the guv to veto complementary beverages; and Gary Rotstein reports that "Pennsylvania has begun opening its slot machine parlors before it has a plan for how to treat the compulsive gamblers expected to latch onto them, risking an array of financial and personal problems."

Battle of Gettysburg, redux
Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust, and several colleagues penned this op-ed piece for the P-G: "The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is considering a highly controversial application to build a casino within cannon range of Gettysburg National Military Park. For history lovers and local residents alike, locating a slots parlor so close to Cemetery Ridge and this historic family-friendly town seems unthinkable. But the applicants not only are serious, they have committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to winning this license ... The casino [would] damage the existing heritage tourism and economic infrastructure of the community. Common sense tells us that casinos bring with them an atmosphere that could drive away heritage travelers. Families with young children visit Gettysburg for its wholesome, historic, family-friendly environment, and parents feel comfortable sending their children to Gettysburg College for many of the same reasons."

Drinks are on the house ...
... says the state Legislature. Not so fast, says the P-G editorial board, not objecting so much to the free drinks as to the manner in which the Legislature considered the issue:

"The Legislature has pulled another fast one. Last week, minutes before lawmakers ended their two-year session, they passed a bill that would allow casinos to serve free drinks to customers. We think many Pennsylvanians -- tavern owners, restaurateurs, regular folks who do or don't drink -- have strong views on the subject and deserved to be heard. But legislative watchdogs said the General Assembly, once again, rammed through a measure without observing constitutional provisions that ensure public notice and scrutiny. Given that, Gov. Ed Rendell has no choice. He should veto the bill."

... The Public Opinion of Chambersburg objects not on technical grounds, but from safety and morality standpoints. To wit:

"1) It's irresponsible to give away free alcoholic drinks. Just as a buffet encourages people to overeat, free drinks will encourage people to drink more than they should. It's human nature to want more if there's no additional cost. Drinking to excess would mean more people driving while intoxicated, endangering the lives of gamblers, their loved ones and others on the highway. 2) It's more difficult for staff to monitor those who are drinking. While servers in regular taverns or restaurants likely serve the same tables and customers for an extended period, the scenario is different at slots parlors. People move around from slot machine to slot machine, so it would be impossible for servers to know just how much alcohol a particular drinker has consumed. The bill forbids offering free drinks to an intoxicated person, but a server may not recognize there's a problem."

And so on.

... John Grogan of the Inky says the same thing, in a much snarkier way: "If you were a con artist looking to separate an unsuspecting victim from his or her life savings, what is the first thing you would do? Get your target good and liquored up, of course. There's nothing like copious amounts of free booze to dull the senses, lower the defenses and cause you to throw caution to the wind. It is a cheap and effective way to soften your target for the big shakedown. Inhibitions melt away, common sense goes out the window. Let the fleecing begin! The Pennsylvania state legislature is doing its part to help."

... Oh, and in case you were wondering, expect the young ladies who are serving the drinks to be of the scantily clad, curvaceous variety: "It's not your typical job advertisement. Then again, it's not your typical job. ''Grab your 4-inch heels. Dress to impress. And be ready for the audition of a lifetime,' the ad reads. 'If you have style, grace, personality [and] want a career that allows you to earn beyond your wildest dreams, this is all about you. The all-new Philadelphia Park Casino is searching for the hottest cocktail servers in the country.'

"The casino's ad and hiring process -- which requires women to wear bustiers in public places -- may seem shocking, risque, even discriminatory. But while the practice has raised the ire of gambling opponents and women's rights activists, the prevailing legal opinion appears to be that casinos can -- with some restrictions -- use appearance as criteria for hiring and firing. And to many in the gaming industry, it's simply the way business is done."

When the women showed up for the interview, they were asked to don bustier tops and velvet tights.

The Morning Call of Allentown also points out just how serious the casinos are about hiring good-looking girls, then making sure they stay that way: "One of Atlantic City's newest and most prestigious casinos, the Borgata, is being sued over its policies regarding cocktail servers. The Borgata Babes, who have their own calendar and are heavily hyped by the casino, are prohibited from gaining more than 7 percent of their body weight."

On the reservation
From the AP: "The Supreme Court on Monday refused to review lower court rulings against the Delaware Nation in a lawsuit about Pennsylvania's earliest days as a colony -- a case that could have ultimately allowed the American Indian tribe to open a casino [near Easton, Pa.]. The tribe says it was swindled out of 315 acres of land in eastern Pennsylvania by the son of Pennsylvania founder William Penn. The so-called Walking Purchase was a 1737 agreement between Thomas Penn and the chiefs of the Lenni Lenape tribe."

Lenni Lenape -- any relation to this guy?

Odds and ends
When a casino opens, bus service can't be far behind: "Privately operated bus service between Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and several pick-up points in Northeastern Pennsylvania could begin as early as next week." ... Police continue to investigate the apparent murders of four women whose bodies were found off the boardwalk in Atlantic City ... One of the girls, just 20, was from Indiana County, Pa. ... The Inky of Philadelphia rates the five proposed casinos, and says Pinnacle and TrumpStreet ought to win the two license (full disclosure: Inquirer publisher Brian P. Tierney is an investor in TrumpStreet) ... The Washington Post weighs in on Robert Johnson (the BET founder, not the blues guitarist) and his pursuit of a casino in Philadelphia ... The gaming board has named Eileen McNulty its first chief financial officer. She's jumping ship from the state's revenue department.

Last, the gaming control board has updated its December hearing schedule. You can find it here.

Until next time ...