What Is New at PA’s 17th Casino, Opening Friday?

What Is New at PA’s 17th Casino, Opening Friday?
Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

Pennsylvania will be getting its 17th casino on Friday, but for gamblers unfamiliar with the 21st century casino floor, it might take a while getting used to it.

The latest Pennsylvania casino, which is categorized as a mini-casino, will be in the college town of Shippensburg in Cumberland County, about 145 miles west of Philadelphia.

The Parx Casino Shippensburg is minutes from Exit 29 off I-81. The Shippensburg Parx is a mid-state outpost of the Parx Pennsylvania casino brand that has a full-sized casino in Bensalem, Bucks County, in Philadelphia’s northeast suburbs.

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Defining ‘Mini-Casino’

While there’s a category of “mini-casino” in Pennsylvania, which the Parx Casino Shippensburg apparently falls into, the fact is that at 73,000-square feet it will be larger than some of the early Atlantic City casinos that opened in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

And remember: Pennsylvania online casinos are also legal in the state.

The Parx Casino Shippensburg will feature 500 slots and 48 electronic table games, and it’s some of the table games (called e-tables) that might take some getting used to for some customers.

The Shippensburg casino website advertises some of its table games as “stadium” blackjack, “stadium” roulette, and “stadium” three-card poker. 

Stadium blackjack is described on the casino website this way: “This action-packed hybrid gaming experience gives the opportunity to wager with just the touch of a finger. Each player has their own electronic betting terminal and will be given the opportunity to place a blackjack wager along with (several optional side bets).”

Similarly, stadium roulette and stadium three-card poker have players using electronic terminals rather than standing or sitting at old-time, felt-covered gaming tables with actual chips. Despite all the gadgetry, the casino’s website says that there still will be live dealers dealing real cards and spinning a real roulette wheel.

The casino was granted its license for a Category 4 casino last January by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PCGB).

Sports Betting Available as Well

With Pennsylvania sports betting legal, patrons will find a handful of sports wagering kiosks  in the Shippensburg casino.

In addition to the 21st century gaming floor, the Shippensburg Parx will have a 100-seat restaurant featuring casual fare, some platters and various pizzas.

The casino is a non-smoking facility with smoking permitted at an attached outdoor smoking patio. Self-parking is free.

Operating hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 24 hours, and Sunday, open until 2 a.m.

PennStakes.com is your main source for casino news in the state and for Pennsylvania casino bonus codes.

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Author

Bill Ordine

Bill Ordine was a reporter and editor in news and sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun for 25 years, and was a lead reporter on a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. Bill started reporting on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for 10 years. He covered the World Series of Poker for a decade and his articles on gaming have appeared in many major U.S. newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald and others.

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