The Live! Casino Philadelphia has been under construction for some time. The venue is located in the Stadium District of the city and is considered a destination casino for the region. It was expected that the casino would open on January 4 due to a COVID-19 operating restriction being lifted. However, the casino now has plans to open up on January 20. This is according to employees and a member of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Confirmed Opening
Players who are waiting to visit the new Live! venue will have to wait a few more weeks. In speaking with PlayPennsylvania, Board member Doug Harbach, said that the casino is set to open on the 20th. This is a target date, so it is not final, but all signs point to the casino opening at this time.
Harbach stated that if the operator can finish the approvals needed by the Board and the city then they will be ready to open. This has to be done by the opening date of the 20th. The site also must complete test nights before opening to ensure that operations are ready for the public. Harbach said the testing dates have not been set yet.
The casino has been working hard to get to the point of opening. Since early November, the casino has been hiring employees for the new property. That same month, the sister property of Live! Pittsburgh opened for business, only to be shut down a few days later due to a new state-wide order involving COVID-19.
For the Philadelphia venue, FanDuel will be operating the company’s sportsbook. A sign was recently posted to remind players of what is to come involving sports betting. Live! also will offer a large poker room and live games should start as soon as the venue is open for business.
This week, the finishing touches were going up on the entrance area and signs were recently added to nearby streets to help travelers find their destination.
Is It a Good Time to Open?
With the casino reportedly opening in a few weeks, is it a good time to get started? Will players feel comfortable visiting during the first opening days, when COVID-19 is still an issue? It really is a guessing game. There are many people who are tired of being cooped up and want something new and fun to do. There are others who have continued to go out despite the threat of the virus and see no problem in visiting a casino.
There are still others who do not want anything to do with being in the public. They want to avoid people as much as possible in the hopes of not contracting the virus. So, will enough people be willing to visit the new property to keep it in operation?
Now that casinos are allowed to reopen after the second state-mandated closure, it is a good sign for the new casino. However, how long will it last? Will the casinos be shut down again if positive case counts rise? Hopefully, we will start to see a slowdown of the virus in the United States and be able to enjoy some sense of normalcy, even if it is just visiting a new casino for a few hours!
