By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press Writer
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — About 100 gamblers, some standing for hours in a foggy drizzle, waited in line Tuesday morning for Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor to open to the public — more than two years after lawmakers authorized gambling to raise money for property tax relief.
The Mohegan Indian tribe of Connecticut spent $70 million on a nicely appointed but no-frills slots parlor that includes two gambling floors with nearly 1,100 machines, a bar, and a food court with three restaurants.
''I think everybody is a little nervous but also very excited,'' said Robert Soper, chief executive officer of the new Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. ''It was never our goal — and frankly it was never that important to us — to open first, but certainly we are going to celebrate the fact.''
While the building can't measure up to the glitz and glamor of gambling palaces in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, N.J., it doesn't have to. Thousands are expected to show up Tuesday, lured by the novelty and convenience of all-hours legalized gambling in Pennsylvania.
Jean Ruddy, a retiree from nearby Scranton, was in line with her husband, Tom. An avid slots player who visits Atlantic City about once a month, Ruddy said she was looking forward to having a slots casino so close to home.
She hoped that the machines might be a little more generous on their first day. ''If I'm doing well, I'll come quite a bit,'' she said.
Once inside, gamblers will try their luck at video gambling games such as Pocono Pennies, Lucky Lemmings and Triple Stars, plunking down anywhere from a penny to $25 per spin as scantily-clad cocktail waitresses serve up drinks and beefy bouncers in black suits and T-shirts maintain order.