Tuesday, May 9th, was Bethlehem Sands Casino's Grand opening celebration.  Even though the casino has been open since May 22nd, it kicked off it's official opening at the former Bethlehem Steel's site.

Instead of a ribbon cutting ceremony, a torch was used to cut the ceremonial steel chain to the shrill clanging of a 650-pound whistle from the SS Normandy, a French cruise liner whose salvaged whistle was used to mark shift changes at the steel plant - at just about 1 o'clock.

Gov. Rendell and company and local luminaries were on hand to dedicate the slots parlor, which had 60,000 visitors its first three days and saw $18 million in wagering the first day alone.

The Sands already has drawn patrons from the Mount Airy Resort Casino in the Poconos, which is about 40 miles away.

The ceremony also featured three longtime workers - now in their 70's - who used to work at the steel plant that stood on the site.  The new casino is on the original steel-making structures that made up Bethlehem Steel, which closed its local operations in 1998.

The Blue Man Group performed their 7 minute show.  In addition to their trademark paint-drumming, the trio with blue painted faces also used gears, wheels and springs from the Old Bethlehem Steel Plant to play their music.

The casino helped to increase statewide gross slots revenue by nearly 18 percent last month - to $178.4 million - compared with May 2008, according to the state gaming board.

From May 22 to May 31, Sands Bethlehem grossed nearly $10.7 million in slots revenue.

The money is used to reduce local property taxes, to boost horse racing purse money, and to fund economic development projects in the state.  Also, a portion of the money is returned to local and county governments that host the casinos. 

Governor Rendell said he could think of no other industry in Pennsylvania that has created jobs.  Since August, the state has lost 600,000 jobs. "This new entity is creating 1,000 jobs in the toughest economy since the Great Depression," the governor said.

The construction of the hotel plus a shopping mall near the casino is expected to resume at the end of the year.  Construction was halted in November due to the slowing of the economy and debt problems for the Las Vegas Sands.

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