State lottery officials officially gave Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center the thumbs-up to run casino-style table games on Wednesday.

The facility in Nitro is expected to open its poker tables to the public for the first time at 7 p.m. today. Racetrack staff held two charity poker games Monday and Tuesday night to give dealers two last practice runs and to make sure surveillance systems and money-handling practices met with Lottery Commission approval.

"The i's have been dotted and t's crossed," said Nancy Bulla, spokeswoman for the state Lottery Commission. "Director [John] Musgrave has been assured that every security regulation under the statute has been met and has given the go-ahead for the poker games to begin tomorrow."

"It's just one more step toward getting to our goal," said Dan Adkins, vice-president of Hartman & Tyner Inc., which owns the racetrack. "I'm very excited."

Regular hours for the poker tables will be from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.

Linda Sutton, who has been helping coordinate dealer classes through West Virginia State Community and Technical College, said 71 of 72 people who signed up for local poker classes offered through the college passed the course. The community and technical college is running blackjack classes for 110 students, and Sutton said roulette classes start next week.

Adkins said track owners originally had planned to open blackjack and other table games by the middle of next month, but decided to push back the opening a week or so.

"That just gives us more time to upgrade our surveillance system," he said. Tri-State should start offering blackjack, roulette, craps and other table games by Sept. 30, Adkins said.

County voters approved the expansion of table gaming at Tri-State last August. Legislators passed a law last year allowing voters in the four counties that have licensed racetracks to vote on expanding gaming in those counties.

In exchange for a $2.5 million annual licensing fee and a portion of their revenue, the racetracks get to add poker and other casino-style games to their facilities. Part of the money from the licensing fee goes to help senior citizen programs in the state.

The tracks also must build hotels to go along with their racetracks and casinos. Tri-State's owners plan a $250 million renovation at the facility that includes a hotel of up to 250 rooms, parking garage, conference center and entertainment complex.

Voters in Ohio and Hancock counties approved table gaming last year, but Jefferson County voters turned down the proposal.

Reach Rusty Marks at rustyma...@wvgazette.com

or 348-1215.

State lottery officials officially gave Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center the thumbs-up to run casino-style table games on Wednesday.

The facility in Nitro is expected to open its poker tables to the public for the first time at 7 p.m. today. Racetrack staff held two charity poker games Monday and Tuesday night to give dealers two last practice runs and to make sure surveillance systems and money-handling practices met with Lottery Commission approval.

"The i's have been dotted and t's crossed," said Nancy Bulla, spokeswoman for the state Lottery Commission. "Director [John] Musgrave has been assured that every security regulation under the statute has been met and has given the go-ahead for the poker games to begin tomorrow."

"It's just one more step toward getting to our goal," said Dan Adkins, vice-president of Hartman & Tyner Inc., which owns the racetrack. "I'm very excited."

Regular hours for the poker tables will be from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.

Linda Sutton, who has been helping coordinate dealer classes through West Virginia State Community and Technical College, said 71 of 72 people who signed up for local poker classes offered through the college passed the course. The community and technical college is running blackjack classes for 110 students, and Sutton said roulette classes start next week.

Adkins said track owners originally had planned to open blackjack and other table games by the middle of next month, but decided to push back the opening a week or so.

"That just gives us more time to upgrade our surveillance system," he said. Tri-State should start offering blackjack, roulette, craps and other table games by Sept. 30, Adkins said.

County voters approved the expansion of table gaming at Tri-State last August. Legislators passed a law last year allowing voters in the four counties that have licensed racetracks to vote on expanding gaming in those counties.

In exchange for a $2.5 million annual licensing fee and a portion of their revenue, the racetracks get to add poker and other casino-style games to their facilities. Part of the money from the licensing fee goes to help senior citizen programs in the state.

The tracks also must build hotels to go along with their racetracks and casinos. Tri-State's owners plan a $250 million renovation at the facility that includes a hotel of up to 250 rooms, parking garage, conference center and entertainment complex.

Voters in Ohio and Hancock counties approved table gaming last year, but Jefferson County voters turned down the proposal.

Reach Rusty Marks at rustyma...@wvgazette.com

or 348-1215.