Pennsylvania Here We Come

The key is that blackjack in its online version may fit well with current regulations. Currently, the game a five-seat interactive online casino blackjack game is being tested by state officials.

An official application to accept the game of blackjack at Pennsylvania's casinos was submitted in January. The Las Vegas based company that produces the game already operates 54 such machines in neighboring Delaware. Another game that is available in Delaware, in addition to blackjack and supplied by the company, is three-card poker. The way the blackjack game works is that five players sit facing a video screen, where a dealer deals cards and dispenses chips. The game is generated electronically by the machine with players taking on against the house, not each other.

State regulations in Pennsylvania require that a game be a slot machine by definition, i.e. players must face a machine and not play against each other. A state official said on this matter: You pull the handle on your [slot] machine, it doesn't affect the person next to you. If the game of blackjack meets this requirement, then there should be no reason to keep it off the floors for long. Other requirements include such minimum payout percentage of 85%, a standard easily met by practically any game, known for generous payouts and small expenses, based largely on huge traffic of gamblers.