The first-ever poker tables in the city of Philadelphia were delivered to SugarHouse Casino on Fri., October 17, 2014 at 10 AM. The tables were inventoried and verified by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PCGB) just before Sugarhouse General Manager Wendy Hamilton cut the seal that unloaded the 24 state-of-the-art tables into SugarHouse’s interim poker room.

“It was really exciting for the SugarHouse team to be part of this historical moment. And for our guests, it is a long-awaited attraction that we’re adding,” Hamilton said. “Poker players are usually a very dedicated group and very passionate about the game. And with poker becoming more mainstream—with TV shows like Poker Night in America becoming part of American pop culture—it was really important to us that we diversified our table games mix by bringing poker to Philly.”

The interim poker room is set to open to the public in early November and will remain open until the casino debuts its permanent poker room in 2015. The temporary room is on the south side of the property facing the Ben Franklin Bridge to ensure that it won’t interrupt the construction of the casino’s long-anticipated $164 million expansion.

Once that new expansion is completed SugarHouse will raise its annual contribution to the Penn Treaty Special Services District (SSD) to $1 million each year. To date, the SSD has received three annual payments totaling $1,175,000 in funding from SugarHouse Casino to help promote local economic development. Including a pre-opening payment of $175,000, SugarHouse has contributed more than $2.6 million to the PTSSD since breaking ground in 2009.

The PTSSD grant money is just one way that SugarHouse gives back to the community— this week is also Neighbor Appreciation Week at SugarHouse (Oct. 19 – Oct. 23) and Hamilton hopes to see community members coming in to take advantage of the festivities.

“We love having our neighbors over to our “house,” and there are a lot of things we’re offering to those who are able to visit us, including food discounts at The Refinery, free slot play and a special gift,” she said.