Word must have quickly gotten around as the floor steadily filled up throughout the day. The “soft” opening Monday began with about 100 hopefuls waiting to enter, said Donlevie. “We knew how well the weekend went and we were hopeful we would get authorization from the gaming board, and sure enough, we did,” said Vince Donlevie, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Chester. “I think the real key areas were observed and the board thought the facility was ready to open up,” said Doug Harbach, spokesman for the gaming board, which monitored everything from floor plans to security to systems operations during the test days. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gave the go-ahead about 11 a.m.
Due to a successful two-day test run over the weekend, Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack took the county by surprise when it opened its 100,000-square-foot casino floor a day early.
