Worth a chance
There will be a lot at stake during Monday’s grand opening of the Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington — and it has nothing to do with the polished chips the patrons push across felt tables or the cards they swipe through glittering slot machines.
We fully expect eager gamblers to fill the table games and slots at the resort casino starting this week — and, of course, wish them the best of luck — but there is a lot more on the line than those gamblers’ good or ill fortune.
The resort’s owner and founder Joe Hardy, obviously has the most to gain, but everyone in the county has a stake in this game.
Consider the economic benefits the casino has already brought to the table: the casino has already meant 500 more jobs, with another 200 possible, at the resort. These are men and women for whom the success of the casino goes beyond whether or not it’s good for Hardy, making a direct, positive impact on their lives.
Even for someone who never steps foot into the glittering landscape of the casino floor or doesn’t collect a paycheck from the resort, they must acknowledge that the addition of 700 jobs in our county is a huge plus. After all, as of April, Fayette County’s unemployment rate was 9 percent, the 52nd highest among the state’s 67 counties. Overall, our unemployment rate was a full 1.5 percent above the state average and 1.4 percent above the national average.
Moreover — and more directly — the casino also means a very real dollars-and-sense impact for our area. It is expected that the casino will mean more than a million dollars a year for both Wharton Township, where the casino is located, and Fayette County at large. Simply put, there are scant few opportunities to bring in that level of revenue, and the money provides an opportunity for a better life for both county and township residents.
One aspect of the grand opening, though, is causing some consternation. Based on the state’s gaming law, there will be a fee for those entering the casino. It’s worth mentioning that, despite the claims of some who have complained about it, the fee does not end up lining Hardy’s pockets.
It’s also not, as has been suggested, a way to keep the clientele at a particular level. There’s simply no doubt that Hardy would love nothing better than to have no fee to attract more gamblers into his casino. He’s trying to get people into the casino, not keep them out.
The fee requirement was written into the law by the state legislature. Hardy has nothing to do with its existence and does not benefit from it. Those revenues will go back to the state, which explains why it was written into the law in the first place. Lady Luck is one of only two casinos in the entire country faced with this requirement; the other being the state’s other resort class casino in Valley Forge near Philadelphia.
If anyone is upset about the fee, they should contact their local legislator and try to get them to change the law, not sit by idly and blame Hardy.
While the fee may be an obstacle, it’s not onerous, and the hope is that most residents will find it cheaper than driving to Pittsburgh or Wheeling to try their luck at a game of chance.
No matter how you look at it, though, the casino is a gamble for everyone involved. But with so much at stake in the way of jobs and tax revenues, all local residents should be hoping it’s one that pays off big time.