In March, regular casino goers watched as venues across the US shutdown due to the quick spread of the coronavirus. Casinos are considered non-essential businesses, so they were closed in order to keep people safe at home. Harrah’s Philadelphia was one of the casinos that closed, shutting off slots, table games and its poker room. Now, it appears as though the poker room will not be coming back, yet no official statement on the matter has been made.
Closing Permanently?
While Harrah’s nor parent company Caesars Entertainment Corp. have come out with an answer, it appears as though the decision has been made to close the poker room for good. Former as well as current employees have been posting on social media that a decision was made on August 11.
Poker dealers posted online about losing their jobs which lead to the rumors that the poker room was not going to reopen at all. Former employees have spoke to news outlets, stating they were contacted by management via Zoom and were told about losing their position. They also were not offered any other position within the casino.
Harrah’s has basically been quiet since the closure in March. The poker room’s Twitter page is no longer in existence, which should be one key sign that the room is not opening back up. Their Facebook page has not been updated since the announcement to close was made back in March.
It’s crazy to think that the poker room would not reopen, especially since it was rebranded as a World Series of Poker room back in 2019. The poker room was moved during recent renovations in order to place all the gaming action in one place. The poker room was busy, offering 27 tables and listing promotions and tournaments on a consistent basis.
Covid-19 Related or Something Else?
Harrah’s Philadelphia reopened for business on June 26. They are offering services at a reduced capacity and are not offering poker gaming due to issues with card handling and chips. Casinos in other states have allowed poker to begin again with limited players at the table and no table switching. In Pennsylvania poker is not allowed still due to possible virus spread.
So, is the poker room closing down due to the fact that poker is not allowed in the state? If so, wouldn’t that be just a temporary closure and once poker is allowed again the WSOP-branded room can get back to work?
It’s odd to think that the poker room might not be in service at all in the future. However, it could be that the parent company is focusing on its online offering. We know that a WSOP online poker room is coming to Pennsylvania sometime soon. The regulatory approval process is beginning, and more details are expected in the coming weeks.
For now, we will wait and see if Harrah’s or Caesars decides to provide any information on the Philadelphia poker room. Hopefully, the closure is just temporary and the poker room can get back to offering services once the virus starts to die away.
