Delaware casino lets the games begin

After months of preparations and a week of practice, the state’s smallest casino is set to officially roll out table games, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Officials at Harrington Raceway and Casino are upping the stakes this holiday weekend.

After a week of low-limit ($25 maximum bets) testing on table games, the casino was scheduled to officially roll in a new era of gambling starting Friday afternoon.

Now, in addition to slot machines, gamblers in Delaware can play games such as poker, blackjack, roulette and craps 24 hours a day.

It’s the end of a long road that has included new legislation, haggling over how the revenues would be split with the state, months of preparation and new construction.

“You can look at the property and see all the changes we’ve made,” said Harrington CEO Patti Key. “It really dresses the property up and it brings in a whole new player base.”

Table games are expected to boost earnings for Delaware’s three casinos and the state. Officials estimate Delaware will net about $40 million in additional revenue in the first year.

It also means hundreds of new jobs, including about 300 in Harrington.

The state’s two other casinos, Dover Downs and Delaware Park in Stanton, are scheduled to begin table games next month, which would beat neighboring Pennsylvania to the punch. Pennsylvania legislators also approved table games earlier this year. Table games are expected to be up and running there a little later in the summer.