With poker becoming a reality in casinos across the state of Pennsylvania, dealer schools have popped up in a bid to train professionals to enter these gambling establishments. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and state police are also being given a course in poker – but from a different angle. State authorities are under no illusions that the introduction of poker could also bring with it the temptation by some people to commit crimes around the gaming tables.
As such, those who have experience working at the tables have been training control board employees and the police how to spot cheater at the tables when card games are eventually introduced into casinos by this summer.
“Quite frankly, we don’t want to be caught with our heads in the sand,” said a spokesman for the gaming control board, Richard McGarvey, who, along with his colleagues has already being undergoing an intensive course of over 5 weeks with professional dealers.
Each casino that has applied for - and received – a license to run poker and other card games on their floors have been training their new dealers to spot potential cheats or cheats in action. Each casino is in fact responsible for its own training, however the board was keen to ensure that its own people were able to identify criminals as well and are therefore also undergoing training.
“The number one job of the Gaming Control Board is to ensure the integrity of gaming in Pennsylvania,” said the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Gregory Fajt. “When a person comes into a Pennsylvania casino, they need to know they are getting a fair shake and they aren’t being cheated.”
It is believed that over 4,000 new jobs will be created with the introduction of poker in Pennsylvania, and millions of dollars will be generated for the state.
