Pennsylvania Casinos and Gambling

Short Summary:  This page looks at the different forms of gambling in the State of Pennsylvania, discusses the legality of online gambling and gives a detailed listing of all of the casinos in the state.

Top 4 United States: Pennsylvania Casinos

Pennsylvania is one of a number of states in that portion of the country that offer full-scale licensed and regulated Commercial Casinos amongst its gambling.  Bordering state, Maryland would legalize casinos much later.

For those who live in that area, or have spent a lot of time there, one noticeable difference between Pennsylvania (and others) to West Virginia is the presence of, “Slot parlors,” in the latter.  These are small locations that operate a handful of machines (5-10) that are licensed and regulated by the state.  In other words, if you’re in West Virginia, you’re likely not far from somewhere where you can gamble in person.  In Pennsylvania, (and others) it largely depends on how far you live from the nearest full-scale casino.  

Online Casinos in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is relatively new to the licensed and regulated online gambling game, jumping into the fray a few years after neighboring New Jersey.  Similarly to New Jersey, the online casinos (that are licensed and regulated) must be owned by or have some affiliation to a land casino within the state.

When it comes to unregulated online gambling, my study of Pennsylvania law resulted in my conclusion that unlawful gambling is illegal only for operators, not mere players.  Therefore, a player could choose to play online in any casino he/she wants to, whether or not its operation is regulated by the state.  Believe it or not, the & Conditions and way that the casinos conduct themselves is not much different when comparing regulated to unregulated, though the State of Pennsylvania might give a player more teeth if there is a dispute.

Also for this reason, some offshore operators choose not to offer their online casinos within the State of Pennsylvania…but for each one that does not, there are several that do.

Charitable gambling

Charitable gambling is legal in the State of Pennsylvania, though there are some restrictions as to the forms of gambling that are permitted under the statutes.  According to the state.

The following forms of gambling are permitted on a charitable basis:

Licensed Eligible Organizations

Licensed eligible organizations are authorized to conduct the following games of chance:

• Pull-tab games.
• Punchboards.
• Raffles (including special permit raffles).
• Daily drawings.
• Weekly drawings.
• Fifty-fifty (50/50) drawings.
• Race Night Games.
• Pools.

Tavern Gaming Licensee

Tavern gaming licensees are authorized to conduct the following types of games, known as “tavern games”:

• Pull-tab games.
• Tavern raffles, which are limited to once a month and must designate at least half of net revenue to a designated charity. Tavern daily drawings.

There are different criteria that must be met in order to be considered an, “Eligible Organization.”

The most common types of charitable gambling in the state are bingo, pull-tabs (generally sold in conjunction with bingo games) and raffles.  Special permit raffles simply refer to authorized raffles by an organization or location that offers higher prizes than usual.

Similarly, taverns/bars/restaurants/lounges with a tavern gambling license can conduct the types of games listed on the parameters above, though they often don’t.

Generally speaking, bingo/pull-tab events in the state are regularly occurring things scheduled on certain days of the week–often by fire departments, churches or some other organizations.

The typical license comes in at a trim $125/annual or an organization can pay $25 for a license that only lasts one month.  Monthly licenses might be used for a month or two by an entity that is starting gambling events for the first time and is unsure of how much it might bring in.

The state sets some other parameters for the conduct of gambling, mostly related to what game manufacturers are authorized and prize limits on a daily, weekly, monthly or event basis depending on what sort of gambling is being done.

One of the main reasons you don’t see so many tavern licenses and tavern games is because they have an effective tax rate of 65% (!!!) of net revenues.

Eligible organizations do not pay any tax on the revenues, though a certain percentage of the proceeds must go directly to the public interest whilst other amounts are to be used for the conducting of the games.  Can’t argue with that–just the licensing fee.

Racetracks

Pennsylvania is home to both standardbred and thoroughbred racetracks, generally connected with casinos, who have experienced favorable news as of 2016.  As of 2016, the tax rate on win/place/show wagers is a trim 1.5% while the tax rate is 2.5% for exotic wagers.  Previously, there was something known as an, “issions tax,” but that no longer exists.

Unlike West Virginia, licensed Pennsylvania casinos (with exception to Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia) do not necessarily have to have a racetrack.  Many of the casinos in the state do not.

Lottery

As with all of the states in the area, Pennsylvania is home to a state lottery.  The Pennsylvania State Lottery also participates in the national Mega Millions and Powerball mega jackpot games.

Unfortunately, the State of Pennsylvania is pretty secretive about how much in prizes comes from each specific type of lottery game, as all, “Prize Liabilities,” are lumped into a single line item:

The annual reports, monthly reports and profit statements all have this as a single line item, so all we can do is learn what we can.

Based on the 2019-2020 annual report, here’s what we can determine:

The total lottery sales were $4,483,177,970 compared to total prizes of $3,428,732,690 meaning that players were returned about 65.5% of their bets across all forms of lottery.  We also know that Instant Tickets (or scratch-offs, if you prefer) represented 71.67% of sales whereas, “Fast Play,” (like Keno) games represented 2.3% for a total of 73.97%.

The overall loss to the lottery, per resident, based on a population of 12.8 million, was about $82.38 per resident.  This seemingly low loss probably has to do with the casinos in the state, nearby casinos in other states and other gambling options (including online) available throughout the state.

It’s no secret that those types of games (instant) are the better returning lottery games whereas mega jackpot games typically have terrible returns.  Considering this, and at a guess, I would say that the returns for instant tickets in Pennsylvania are likely on the higher end of average.

With that, we’ll jump over to the most recently available profit report to see what else we can learn.

One interesting aspect that we learn from the profit report is that people are more than happy to pay greater amounts for instant tickets, which might contribute to the slightly better than average return compared to other states.  Obviously, the individual tickets probably don’t cost that much more to manufacture, (and are cheaper to distribute as there are fewer of them) so some of these cost reductions might exist in the form of player savings by way of a better return.

Of course, I would rather lose 40% of $1.00 than lose 30% of $5.00–or, better still, just not play instant tickets at all whatsoever.

In any case, individual price points for tickets range from $1-$30 with the average amount of money spent per ticket, in 2019, at $5.85.  That’s pretty crazy.

I also know that not everyone who purchases the tickets even plays them.  Some people just scratch off the little barcode and scan it without even scratching anything else to see if it’s a winner.  What a waste!  If you’re going to spend $30 on an instant lottery ticket, at least take the time to slowly reveal your result!

Also, these seem to be popular Christmas card presents.  Do me a favor: If you’re thinking about giving me a $5 instant lottery ticket in my Christmas card, just put $5 in there instead…that way, I’ll have 100% of five bucks!  Besides, if I hit the top jackpot, you’ll probably want me to split it, even though you gave me the ticket.  (I would actually split it, but would still prefer a five-dollar bill, instead.)

One thing that we can gain is profit relative to sales for various games, even though it doesn’t differentiate the expenses of prizes when determining the profits.  In other words, it’s just talking about prizes + other costs–such as physical items, machines and commissions.

• Scratch-Off Profit: 19.3% of all sales.
• Fast Play Profit: 21% of all sales.
• Draw Games Profit: 38.46% of all sales.
• Monitor Games: 21% of all sales.

While it’s unfortunate that we can know the return in prizes for the specific games and denominations, (of instant ticket) these numbers should leave no doubt that draw games are a terrible bet…not that any of the others are particularly good.

Other

For other gambling matters in the state, we turn to the most recent (as of this writing) annual report.

The easiest way to put it is that gambling is expanding in Pennsylvania, despite their best efforts.  Let’s look at their snapshots of recent developments and cut through the bullcrap together:

Category 4 Satellite Casinos progressed through the PGCB licensing process. The PGCB held five public input hearings to gather information and public input for each project and ultimately granted the first Category 4 License in June 2019. (see page 9)

Okay, so basically a Category 4 Satellite Casino is a smaller casino that is to be owned by an operator of a major casino.  Essentially, Pennsylvania previously had guidelines for aspects such as minimum square footage and machine counts for Categories 1 & 2 Casinos.  (There is no practical difference in these categories, except Category 1 casinos have horse racing).

It seems that the state has finally decided, “Hey, this gambling thing is really bringing in the bucks…maybe we should make it more accessible?”  West Virginia figured this out nearly two decades ago with slot parlors.  I imagine that Pennsylvania will get there, but not yet, although:

Video Gaming Terminals (VGT’s) at Truck Stops progressed with the PGCB receiving 73 applications to offer this new form of gaming. The PGCB licensed 19 establishments, 7 of which began offering VGT gaming as of October 1, 2019. (see page 10)

Here comes the red tape–Operators MUST:

1. Be equipped with diesel islands capable of handling commercial vehicles.
2. Sold at least 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel, per month, for each of the last twelve calendar months, OR projects sales of at least 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel for each of the next twelve months.
3. Has at least twenty parking spaces designated for commercial vehicles.
4. Has a convenience store.
5. Is a PA Lottery Sales Agent, and:
6. Is situated on a parcel of land not less than three acres.

—If all of these guidelines seem stupid and arbitrary, it’s because they totally are.  It’s kind of funny to see the PA Lottery complain about revenues lost to unregulated, “Games of Skill,” in bars in a state in which making truck stops jump through 6,000 hoops to have a few machines can be considered a huge step.

Three simple words: Just. Have. Parlors.

In any case, the state managed to not completely shoot themselves in the foot, licensing 19 of the 73 (26%) of the locations to apply, of which, seven actually have machines…less than ten percent of applicants.

And, truck drivers aside, who does this REALLY serve?  Most of the places that even COULD meet the criteria are going to be located near some sort of major roadway, (obviously) so this doesn’t necessarily make gambling more convenient for all folks who live in the rural areas.  Just let the friggin’ bars have five machines!!!!

Interactive Gaming ramped up throughout the year with the PGCB receiving 10 petitions from Pennsylvania casinos and two outside gaming entities to offer casino-type games online. Interactive Gaming Licenses were granted to all 10 of the casinos and 3 began offering online gaming as of October 1, 2019. (see page 11)

At least that happened faster than I thought it would.  Although, I would again point out that these online casinos aren’t meaningfully different from anything offshore…some of the promotions are potentially profitable for advantage players.

Sports Wagering got off to a strong start in November 2018 when Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course became the first casino to open a retail sportsbook followed quickly by 10 other retail openings. In addition, 5 online sportsbooks launched as of October 1, 2019. (see page 12)

That was certainly fast considering how recently PASPA was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States, although, Pennsylvania was one of the main states pushing for the overturn, so it comes as no surprise.  The public has wanted a legal means to bet sports before parlors ever even became a thing.

Fantasy sports contests, in its first full year of regulation by the PGCB, produced $3.5 million in tax revenue from 9 Fantasy Contest Operators. (see page 13)

This refers to Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), not traditional Fantasy Football.  Fantasy Football would effectively be legal as long as nobody is taking a cut, or vig.

Category 3 facilities took advantage of changes to the gaming act when Valley Forge Casino Resort and Lady Luck Nemacolin paying $1 million each to lift the “Patron of the Amenities” clause. Additionally, Valley Forge Casino Resort paid $2.5 million to add an additional 250 slot machines to its gaming floor.

Look at that, sometimes the state actually does like money!

This just does away with the stupid requirement for the resort casinos that patrons had to be there for something aside from the gambling.  At both Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge, patrons would purchase a $10 gift card that was good to get you on the gambling floor for 24 hours and could be used for basically anything EXCEPT gambling.  This was mainly annoying just because getting through the door was a whole process with first having to go to the Players Club, buying the gift card, giving your ID, printing your access card, giving the access card to security…etc. etc.

The revenues and taxation (OUCH!) are available for each of the casinos in the state on the above link.

While Mohegan Sun Pocono is owned by a Native American tribe, specifically, The Mohegan Tribe…it is not actually a, “Tribal Casino.”  It operates and is regulated as any other casino in the State of Pennsylvania would be, much in the way that Resorts Casino in Atlantic City is.  There are no Tribal Casinos (operating by separate compact) in the State of Pennsylvania.

Top 4 Sportsbooks in United States: Pennsylvania

1		20% up to CA$500	Play Players Accepted
2		50% up to $1,000	Play Players Accepted
3		£30	Play Players Accepted
4		100% up to CA$250	Play Players Accepted

Land Casinos In Pennsylvania

For the time being, we will not list the individual truck stop locations for a few different reasons:

1. They are limited to a maximum of five machines and cannot have table games.
2. Only seven are currently operating, despite 19 licenses (another source on the link says 12) being approved.  The link does not specify where these approvals (but no operation) are located.
3. As of the time of the annual report, some of these license requests were still under review, so the number and location of these establishments is likely to change a good bit over the next year or so.  Beyond that, other locations may be making modifications so that they can apply (or remedy a reason an application was denied) and have not opened yet.

So, for now, we’re just going to go over the twelve operating casinos.

Harrah’s Philadelphia

(Chester)

Harrah’s Philadelphia (often called, “Harrah’s Chester”) is a Category 1 (racetrack) casino located in Chester, Pennsylvania…which is basically a part of Philadelphia.  This casino is actually located almost directly next to a prison!

It turns out that one of the reasons for the name confusion is that the property actually operated as, “Harrah’s Chester,” until about 2012, at which point it was determined that the moniker including, ‘Philadelphia,’ might appeal to a broader market.  In other words, it was basically decided that the fact that Chester is a suburb of Philadelphia is not a well-enough known fact.

Until 2018, Caesars Entertainment owned the property as well as the gambling license, but the physical property was sold to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) known as Vici Properties.  The REIT then turns right around and leases the property to Caesars.  This basically protects the physical property in the event—which once looked extremely likely—that Caesars Entertainment were to go bankrupt.

Vici Properties purchased several physical locations from Caesars only to lease them right back, while Caesars sold some other properties outright to entities like JACK Entertainment, who most notably bought JACK Cleveland and JACK Cincinnati.  JACK has since sold JACK Cincinnati.  Basically, Caesars accomplished a dual purpose: They got much needed cash AND protected the physical properties by putting them in the hands of financially stable companies.

As far as the horse racing goes…this writer is embarrassed to report that he has been to this property a few times and never even noticed it!  It looks like it is mostly concealed from the outside by the casino building itself (if you’re in front), so that makes me feel a little better.  Also, I was primarily there in the night hours and they do not regularly conduct night racing.

As with most Pennsylvania casinos, (over half) this property is not home to a hotel.  Of course, you’re in Philadelphia, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding hotels nearby.

Racing would normally run from late-March to December, but the start of it was postponed this year due to COVID-19.  In normal years, racing would have generally taken place on Sundays and Wednesday-Friday.  For holidays and other events, live racing sometimes takes place on the other days of the week.  This harness racing track spans ⅝ of a mile, and interestingly, partially consists of a little bridge that crosses a small stream of the Delaware River.  The surface is mainly composed of limestone.

The casino floor spans multiple levels and a little over 100,000 square feet.  This property is home to as many as 2,900 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines.  According to their website, they have around 2,000 slot machines, but could have as many as 2,900 if there was demand.

Their website does not include a comprehensive list of slot machines, but does state some of the newer titles and s a high-limit room with denominations up to $100 and about ninety total machines.

The property is home to a sizable sportsbook known as, “The Book,” (how creative!) which boasts ample seating and 45 high-definition TV’s.  In addition to six teller stands, there are also two betting terminals for those who wish to get some action down when the stands are closed.  The book opens at 11:00a.m., except Sundays, when it opens at noon.

The website does not specify a table games count, but the Pennsylvania Annual Report would have the total at 117 (including two automated) for the year 2019.  Games offered, according to Harrah’s’ website, include: Pai-Gow Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Midi Baccarat and EZ Baccarat.

If that seems like a lot, it is.  We would definitely recommend calling the casino ahead of time to get the general operating hours for your game of choice if it is not one of the Big Three: Roulette, Craps and Blackjack.

Their website currently s that they have some $5 minimum games going on at all times, but again, we would recommend calling the property and inquiring with the tables game pit before visiting to make sure that’s still true.

Their website doesn’t say anything about live poker, except for the table games section, which says:

Poker Games

Including Texas Hold’em, Omaha High & Omaha High-low Split Eight or better poker, Five-card Omaha High (Big O High) & Five-card Omaha High-low Split Eight or better poker (Big O), Seven-card Stud High, Seven-card Stud High-low Split Eight or better, Seven-card Stud Low, Seven-card Super Stud high & Seven-card Super Stud High-low poker, Badugi poker, Triple Draw poker: 2-7 lowball, A-5 lowball, badeucey & badacey.

So, no information about hours or table count.  If they don’t care to offer specifics on that, then neither do we.  I did locate an old link that said 28 tables…so maybe it’s just removed from the website due to COVID-19, or perhaps they have gotten rid of poker altogether.

In of restaurants, this is going to be kind of a, “Pre-COVID,” list, so we recommend calling them if a particular restaurant is very important to you.

Quick Dining options consist of Philly Steak Shack and The Market.  The Philly Steak Shack mainly serves Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and some others, while The Market has other sandwiches, soups, hoagies, pizza and grab & go items.

The Cove Steakhouse is the property’s upscale dining option and was apparently voted one of the Ten Best Steakhouses in Philadelphia by OpenTable.  I’ve not personally eaten at The Cove, but I can say that there are definitely some good steakhouses in Philadelphia, so to be amongst the Top 10 should theoretically be no small feat.

Normally, The Laurel Lounge is the property’s buffet and features a Sunday Brunch, but as with so many other casino buffets in the country, it is closed as of the time of this writing.

Casual Dining options include Mien Noodles and Guy Fieri’s Kitchen and Bar.  The latter of the two features the well-known TV host’s signature dishes.

The actual Laurel Lounge (as if that’s not confusing) is a bar for high-level card common to CET properties that features quick eats (sometimes free) as well as discounted drinks.  It’s closed at this time.

The Copper Mug and the C-Bar would normally be the two bars on the property.  They are closed as of the time of this writing.  I don’t know if either would normally have music, but can say that neither had music any time that I was there.

Aesthetically speaking, the casino is fairly cookie-cutter.  It’s definitely not a destination casino and (with all respect to them) would probably be the last casino in the Philadelphia area that I would visit if I made a list of them.  Being a fairly new casino, it’s obviously clean enough…but it’s just a casino.  It’s said to have a carnival/circus theme, but in my opinion, it’s just one of the dimmest casino floors (machine light aside) that I’ve ever seen.  I think the main selling point for the place is just being closer to some places in Pennsylvania than Atlantic City is, and also appealing to locals.

So, that’s what you’re left with.  If you’re a gambler nearby, then it’s probably worth a stop if you’re in the area anyway.  If you’re travelling, then just go to Atlantic City…it’s not that far.  It’s pretty much just a slightly overgrown locals casino…and there’s not anything wrong with that.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course is located in Grantville, (just North of Harrisburg) Pennsylvania.  The physical property is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties (which mostly acts as a REIT working with Penn National Gaming) and the license holder/operator is Penn National Gaming.

There’s something about the overall experience of this place that puts it in my Top Three casinos in Pennsylvania.  Mainly, it’s clean, well-lit and has a decent amount of offerings considering its limited size.  If there’s one knock against it, then it is that this is NOT the place to go if low table games minimums are important to you.  There are plenty of casinos in the state with $5 minimums (at least, pre-COVID) even on staple games, but you won’t find that here.

This is another Pennsylvania casino that does not have a hotel of its own, but there are some right nearby just off of the same exit as the casino.  The exterior of the property is particularly interesting as it sits back from the main road and looks like it would be some sort of outdoor-resort location, except it’s not…just the casino and racetrack.

Speaking of the racetrack, it significantly outdates the casino having been in operation since 1972.  There are two courses which are a mile long dirt course and a seven furlong turf course.  The racetrack is unique for being one of the few that, COVID aside, operates year round.

In of things they would normally have that are closed as of this writing: A poker room, Top Golf Swing Suite, all bars, The Sportsbook (kiosks are open and tickets can be redeemed at the regular cage on winners), every eatery except The Eatery is closed and there is presently no valet service.

More simply put, they have table games and machines right now…and that’s about it.

The casino boasts more than 2,300 slot machines, ranging in denomination from pennies to hundreds.  Included in this count are video keno machines.

Hollywood Casino puts their table games count at 56 while the Pennsylvania Annual Report seems to have it at 75.  Of course, I know that Hollywood would usually have a poker room, and there is no separate area on the Annual Report for poker, so we can deduce that they have 56 table games and a poker room with 19 tables.  (Give or take a few table games that they may have gotten rid of at some point)

Table games listed on the Hollywood site include Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Four-Card Poker, Pai-Gow Poker, High Card Flush, Heads Up Hold ‘Em (similar to Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em), Let it Ride, Spanish 21, Midi and Mini Baccarat, Big 6 and Cajun Stud.

As always, if you’re looking for any of the games outside of the big three of Blackjack, Craps and Roulette (or perhaps anything but Blackjack) we recommend calling ahead for the normal operating hours for your game of choice.

There would be a sportsbook under normal circumstances, a very new one at that, but it’s probably going to be closed for the rest of 2020.

The property features a number of dining establishments, including the upscale Final Cut Steakhouse–a pretty typical venue for Hollywood branded casinos to have.  Mountainview Dining and Terrace Lounge is the primary casual eatery if you wish to watch the horses.  SkyBox Sports Bar consists of the expected sportsbar food and is the eatery for when the sportsbook is open.

The Eatery and Drafthouse by Fabio Viviani features mostly casual American fare. And Italian food.  It’s actually four small restaurants, but functionally, is a food court.  Paddock Cafe is the main place to go for super quick stuff like hot dogs, fries and chicken fingers.

Previously, the property was home to the usual Hollywood selection Epic Buffet, but the site has nothing to say about the buffet whatsoever.  It might be closed temporarily due to COVID-19, (as of the time of this writing) or perhaps it will be a permanent closure and that’s why it’s gone from the website.  That’ll be a shame, but not totally unexpected…this Epic Buffet location actually had some pretty decent food, in my opinion.

Again, live racing and simulcast are both back with schedules available on their website.

I want to make very clear that I am not calling this a destination casino and would not base a trip around making a visit to it.  It’s basically a locals casino and place for people who are visiting the Harrisburg area anyway.  It still makes my Top Three (probably along with The Meadows and SugarHouse/Rivers Pittsburgh) for these reasons:

1. It’s very well-lit.  In this regard, it’s more similar to a resort-type casino.
2. It’s pretty quiet.  You basically need a car or to afford a somewhat pricey Uber to get there, so the clientele is reasonably well-to-do.  Of course, this also gets reflected in the table games minimums.  Additionally, they keep the music at a very reasonable volume compared to some other casinos.
3. Location.  It’s a pretty nice drive, but not inconvenient, to get to this property.  If you’re coming from the South, then you might hit some traffic on US-11 if you’re coming through on a weekday during business hours, (or rush hours) but it’s pretty smooth sailing once out of Harrisburg.  If you’re coming from the East, there are a series of state roads and backways that will get you there without much traffic hassle, but you’ll definitely want to use navigation of some kind.
4.  It’s clean.  This is just a generally attractive casino by locals casino standards.
5.  It’s not your typical Hollywood.  This is kind of a muted version of a Hollywood Casino without all of the garishness that usually comes with the brand.  If I had to compare the interior of the casino to another PA casino, then I’d say it’s fairly similar to Lady Luck Nemacolin.
6. Great service.  On a dozen or more visits, any staff that I have had to interact with have always been very friendly.

In conclusion, this is definitely a locals casino, but a top-notch one in most regards.

Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin

Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin is located in Farmington, PA as part of the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort area.  This casino is roughly an hour fifteen South of Pittsburgh and maybe forty minutes South of Washington, PA.  The drive down US-40 East or West (depending on where you are coming from) is quite a scenic and pleasant one.

The ownership history, however brief, is pretty complicated.  The casino was originally designated Lady Luck, a brand then used by Isle of Capri Casinos.  El Dorado then purchased this property from Isle of Capri and kept the Lady Luck branding.  Churchill Downs, in 2019, purchased the rights to operate the casino from El Dorado Resorts, so now this is operated as a Churchill Downs property.

One thing that we will point out is that there are many different attractions and dining options in the greater resort area, but for the purposes of this page, we’re only going to discuss what’s in the actual casino building.

Originally, this property had a Category 3 license which meant that patrons had to be guests of the actual resort, purchase an annual , or purchase ($10 spend) a $10 gift card that could be used for anything except gambling in most resort locations.  Churchill Downs saw fit to pay the State of Pennsylvania $1,000,000 in 2019, so this requirement no longer technically exists.  Again, the $10 requirement was mainly a pain just because it delayed the general public getting into the casino itself by ten minutes, or more, and added a few steps that shouldn’t be necessary.

The casino floor is a relatively small one and consists of around 600 combined slots, video poker and video keno machines.  Based on a few visits, I would suggest avoiding this casino if you’re primarily a video poker player.  Not only are there very few novelty games, (there aren’t many VP machines at all, for that matter) but even the paytables on the no-frills games are pretty bad.  That’s true even by Pennsylvania standards.  If you’re willing to scour entire casino offerings, you can often find at least one 98%+ game in many PA casinos…not here.

Their website states that they have 27 table games, but as you might expect, very few of these are open at any given time.  They offer Big Six, Back to Back, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Criss Cross Poker, Mississippi Stud, House Money Blackjack and Three-Card Poker.  Table Games usually operate from mid-afternoon to midnight, and that was true even prior to CV-19, so don’t expect that to change.  They’ll sometimes stay open after midnight (pre-COVID) if it’s really busy.

Slot denominations range from pennies to $25, the latter being found in the small high-limit area.

There are two dining options in the actual casino: Otis & Henry’s Bar and Grill as well as The Lone Wolf.  The Lone Wolf is just the name of the bar on the casino floor and mostly just serves the casual fare from Otis & Henry’s menu.

Overall, Otis & Henry’s is pretty good, though a bit pricey for what you get if you’re not getting it comped.  At one time, they had a buffet-style thing with an assortment of items that was a pretty decent value…and you had to use that gift card on something, right?

Again, while this property is located at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, it technically does not have a hotel attached to the casino–much less ran by the casino.

This place is maybe worth a stop if you’re ing through the area, or if you want to build a trip around the resort and nearby OhioPyle State Park, Laurel Highlands and some other lakes and such that are in the area.  You definitely wouldn’t want the casino to be the focal point of the trip as it’s really more of an amenity to the resort than it is anything else.

It’s a pretty decent small casino, all things considered, particularly if you’re a slots or tables player.  The table minimums had been as low as $5 on weekdays for Blackjack and Craps, and as low as $10 on weekends.  Slots are basically just slots, and even if the average return to player differs from other casinos by some fraction of a percentage, it’s not like you know what exact percentage return-to-player you get at the machine you’re sitting at.

If you’re exclusively a video poker player, then this place should be on your avoid list, even if you’re in Pennsylvania anyway.  You can find VP games that aren’t as bad at Rivers Casino or Meadows Casino.

The property is well-lit, the service is great, the music is quiet and the clientele—this being a resort—are generally pretty well-to-do.  This place is basically in the middle of nowhere, (except natural attractions) so it’s definitely not a must-visit if you’re only interested in the casino component.  If you live in the area or are considering the entire resort for a vacation, then it’s maybe worth a stop.

Hollywood Casino-Washington (Formerly The Meadows)

Located in Washington, PA (about forty minutes South of Pittsburgh), ‘The One, The Only,’ The Meadows is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and leased to Penn National Gaming—similar to Hollywood Grantville. The racetrack in the area known as, “The Meadowlands,” has operated since 1963.

The ownership history for this one isn’t particularly complicated, though it is a bit strange.  Cannery Casino Resorts originally bought the racetrack from a company called Magna Entertainment and opened a temporary casino on the property a year later while the full casino was being built.

Cannery’s other projects were Cannery Casino and Hotel in North Las Vegas, which makes sense.  However, they were also involved (then as Millennium Management Group) with Greektown Casino in Detroit.  Greektown Casino management would later be handled by the owners of the physical property.

Also around this time, Cannery Casino Resorts would sign a ten-year lease to manage the JW Marriott location in Las Vegas, which they would rebrand as Rampart Casino.  A few years later, in the mid-2000’s, they would purchase the Nevada Palace Casino.

Cannery then led an effort to get casinos legalized in New Hampshire, which failed, though they had at least secured the rights to a racetrack where the casino would have been built.  Similarly, this happened in the year 2005.

Shortly after the time that the temporary casino for Meadows Casino was built, Cannery opened the Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas.  The Eastside Cannery was located in roughly the same spot as the former Nevada Palace, which was demolished in phases as Eastside Cannery was built and eventually completed.

Ultimately, despite their previous involvement with Greektown and efforts in New Hampshire, Cannery Casino Resorts wound up with ownership of two casinos in Vegas, managed a third and then owned a casino in Pennsylvania—that being Meadows.

Subtract one in 2012 as the owners of Rampart opted not to renew the management agreement that they had with CCR.  This left a Vegas based company with two casinos in that area as well as The Meadows in PA.  In fact, the main entrance to The Meadows featured (near the ceiling) murals of the Cannery and Eastside Cannery.

Cannery sold The Meadows to Gaming and Leisure Properties in 2014 while the operating license would go to Penn National Gaming.  Two years later, CCR would fully sell out all of its interests to Boyd Gaming, and as such, no longer exists.

It’s a company history as varied and interesting as it was short.  As its own entity, Cannery Casino Resorts did not even exist for fifteen years!

There was some speculation that the Meadows Casino would be converted to a Hollywood Casino branded property, though no official announcement was made in that regard.  Honestly, you could get it done just by changing the names of some of the eateries and throwing up some movie stuff and signage.  Design-wise, it’s not that far off from Hollywood Columbus…mainly built around a large main gaming area.

Of course, The Meadows is a pretty well-known and well-branded company if you’re in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia or Eastern Ohio, so there’s really no compelling reason to ever rebrand it that I can think of.

The Meadows technically doesn’t have a hotel, but it is linked to Hyatt Place via a walkway directly from one property to another.  Additionally, comps are offered involving the Hyatt Place to certain players and room packages are offered directly through Meadows’ website.  There are also several hotels near The Meadows, and no need to drive, as the casino offers complimentary shuttle service to the nearby hotels.  Meadows and Hyatt Place also share one of the garages as the second floor of the garage nearest the road theoretically should only be used by Hyatt guests.

The casino floor features some 2,500 combined slot machine, video poker, video keno and video Roulette games.  The video poker paytables are nothing outstanding, but they have a few games north of 98% and generally better offerings than some other area casinos.  Denominations range from pennies to C-Notes on the slot machine with one machine ($25 denomination) taking single bets as high as $375.  The high limit slots room is located on the far side of the casino (relative to the main driving entrance) and has in the neighborhood of fifty machines.

Interestingly, The Meadows is probably a good choice if you want to play high denomination machines, as they seem less afraid of big jackpots than other area casinos.  One example is the high-limit Ultimate X, which ranges in denomination from $0.50-$5.00 and has Triple-Play at the $5 denomination—meaning that a max bet is $150.  Rivers Casino Pittsburgh also has $5 denomination Ultimate X in the high-limit room, but that’s only single-line.

The Meadows offers 65 Table Games and lists Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and Midi/Mini Baccarat on their website.  At a minimum, they also have Pai-Gow Poker, Three-Card Poker, Mississippi Stud and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.  The only game that seems to operate 24/7 is Blackjack, so we would strongly recommend calling ahead to get the typical operating hours of any other game…or to inquire about games not listed here.

The poker room is a separate actual room in the back of the casino relative to the main entrance, and basically in the middle from a left/right perspective.  There are two main areas of video poker machines on the main floor and this is located just past a few banks on the other main area.  The poker room has ample room for players and waitresses to move around and generally spreads Texas Hold ‘Em and sometimes Omaha.  Of course, it’s closed as of the time of this writing due to CV-19, but it’s pretty active, so don’t be surprised to see it reopen when this COVID mess is sorted.

The sportsbook opens at either 11:00a.m. or noon depending on the day and can be found also towards the back of the casino close to the poker room.  In addition to live wagering, there are also eighteen wagering terminals.

One thing I have to laugh at is that Meadows s that they DO NOT charge for parking on gameday, ever.  That’s kind of a shot at Rivers Pittsburgh.  What they neglect to mention is that Rivers Pittsburgh is practically a next door neighbor to PNC Park (Pirates) and Heinz Field (Steelers)…while The Meadows is in the middle of nowhere (though there has been some recent development of restaurants and housing in the area nearby)…so of course Meadows wouldn’t charge for parking!

Meadows Racetrack is a ⅝ mile harness racetrack that starts races on the back oval due to the fact that the standard harness race should be one mile.  This is a dirt track.  The horse racing area is downstairs relative to the casino and can be accessed by a separate entrance, elevators near the food court, or stairs just off of the food court.  The bowling alley and arcade is also located in this area of the property.  The Meadows is also unique in that it has no racing, ‘Season,’ per se, but rather conducts it year-round (in normal times) on 200-ish race days per year.

Meadows also makes the racetrack quite a feature of the property compared to other casinos.  For one thing, the windows from the Food Court, The Carvery and the Poker Room all look out over the racetrack.  The second reason is that they heavily promote horse racing in their advertising and use that combined with the bowling alley to attract guests who might not care so much about machines, tables and poker.

With that out of the way, let’s tackle the eateries.  The Carvery was the property’s buffet, but it was actually fairly nicely appointed—looking out over the racetrack and with pretty decent furniture.  The buffet itself had some offerings that were fairly unique, such as artichoke hearts and a unique assortment of breads and desserts.  The Carvery also had a menu that guests could order off of, if they wanted to.  This buffet would rival many in Las Vegas and should be considered a benchmark for the region, as far as casino buffets go.

Bistecca is a fine dining steakhouse with an attached lounge.  Main courses will run anywhere from $25-$55 with most being on the higher end of that range.  Sides are usually anywhere from $7-$9.  I ate there once when I had a sizeable comp that could only be used on food, and it’s pretty elegant, but the food is basically just what you would expect from any high-quality steakhouse.

This also features The Eatery by Fabio Viviani and consists of an Italian food stop, a cafe and dessert area, an ice cream area, a burgers area and a sandwiches area.  Previously, The Meadows had a coffee shop that was actually a Starbucks location, but that’s no longer true…the quality is about the same.  The Eatery, as mentioned before, can overlook the racetrack depending on where you sit.

One thing that The Meadows used to do, though it might not be true anymore, was that they offered a complimentary continental breakfast for all players club holders.  You’d go in and get a cup of pretty decent fruit, a pastry item (usually a donut or bagel) and a cup of coffee all for free just for being there.  Then, you could just sit and watch the horses get their morning walk in.  It was actually pretty nice.

The Pub and The Pub Trackside are both on the lower level in the bowling alley and racetrack area, respectively.  These locations basically serve standard quick bar fare.

Meadows Lanes is the property’s bowling alley and, like the racetrack area, is accessible by anyone of any age.  The H Lounge is the property’s bar in the center of the casino floor (on a platform) that features live music for free on Fridays and Saturdays.  There are two other bars (sometimes open, sometimes not) one located in the clubhouse on one side of the casino with the other tucked on the complete opposite side.  The bar on the far right side (relative to coming in the main entrance) used to be where the video poker area was, but at some point, video poker was moved to the center and near the main entrance.

The Meadows is my #1 favorite casino in the State of Pennsylvania for a number of reasons that I will detail:

1. Something for Everyone – Meadows is one of the few casinos in the state, or even in the area, to recognize that people under 21 exist.  People not old enough to gamble have easy access to the bowling alley, food court and to watch the horse racing, if they want to.
2. Decent Games – By Pennsylvania standards, there are a few decent video poker paytables to be found.  The variety of table games is pretty strong and they are all (except the high limit table room) located in one area right in the center of the casino floor.
3. Great Staff and Service – I’ve never had a problem with Meadows staff and everyone is courteous and helpful.  If you have questions for the players club, you’ll generally get the right answer on most things.
4. Generous Comps – Meadows is reasonably generous with comps of the free play, food and beverage variety.  There also are/were coupon books available at the local hotels that would get you additional perks if you were staying.  Perhaps just as important for some people, Meadows offers a free shuttle to the closest hotels…which are basically down the street, but would be a bit of a trial to walk to.
5. Vegas-like Experience – Meadows kind of looks like Binion’s in Downtown Paradise (Vegas) on the inside.  The main area of the casino is quite open, expansive and offers plenty of space to get around.  Meadows was (although this has been changed to certain card levels) the only casino in the area to give free drinks to anyone playing on the floor.  This started with free Meadows Lager to anyone and eventually evolved to free well drinks and mixed drinks…before that, you’d have to have a card level sufficient to get into The Clubhouse.

Hopefully, after this COVID thing is all said and done, free drinks for everyone will return.

Even with all of this, it’s tough to call The Meadows a destination unto itself, but if I was visiting the Pittsburgh area…I’d stay at a hotel near Meadows and make it my casino of choice for the trip.  Granted, it’s a bit of a drive to get to Pittsburgh, but a relatively easy one.  I think this is especially true if you’re traveling with anyone who is not of gambling age, as The Meadows will have some stuff for them to do…which can’t be said about Rivers Pittsburgh, Mountaineer Casino (Chester, WV) or Wheeling Island Casino (Wheeling, WV).

Best casino in PA overall?  I think so.  It’s also got something for all budgets, gambling and otherwise.

Mohegan Sun Pocono

Mohegan Sun Pocono has maybe chosen a name.  It has also gone by Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and, simply, Pocono Downs.  This casino is owned and operated by Downs Racing LLC, which is a division of the Mohegan Sun Tribe.  Despite this ownership, it is NOT a Tribal Casino that operates under a compact, but rather a licensed and state-regulated casino.  As we discussed at the top of this page, there are no Tribal Casinos in Pennsylvania.

This casino, under one of its former names, was the first casino in Pennsylvania to offer slots.  It was originally owned (the downs, anyway) by Penn National Gaming, but was then sold to Mohegan Sun.

This casino is arguably the closest thing to a destination casino in the entire state.  Additionally, it is one of the few casinos to actually operate a hotel–which is directly connected to the casino itself.

The seven-story hotel tower is home to 238 total guest rooms, of which 20 are suites.  Additionally, guests will enjoy complimentary internet, indoor pool, hot tub and fitness center.  One thing that guests should keep in mind is that, for reasons unknown to me, this hotel will no longer accept guests under the age of 21.  If I had to guess, I’d venture that this is probably a temporary measure due to the fact that the only amenity fully operating on the property is the casino itself.

The 82,000 square foot casino floor boasts more than 1,900 slot machines, more than fifty table games, a poker room and live harness racing.  Given that this is a full-scale property, some might be surprised that this is not even close to being the largest casino floor in the state.

The combined slots, video poker and video keno machines range in denomination from coppers to hundreds, with the biggest denomination machines being largely concentrated in the high limit area.  As with other PA casinos, there’s no comprehensive list of games on their site, but they do list a few of the newer titles.

The poker room for this casino is fairly small, consisting of only eight tables and mostly deals Texas Hold ‘Em.  There are daily tournaments and jackpot promotions when poker is operational.

The 50+ table games consist of Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Mini Baccarat, Mississippi Stud, Pai-Gow Poker, Pai-Gow Tiles, Let it Ride, Three-Card Poker and Spanish 21.  If you’re interested in a particular game, aside from Blackjack, we recommend calling ahead to get the usual operating hours for your game of choice.  It is worth noting that Mohegan Sun Pocono is one of the only casinos in the state to ever offer Pai-Gow Tiles.

Unibet Sportsbook features limited seating, a dedicated cage (hours may vary) and a number of sports betting terminals.

Similar to Meadows, Mohegan Sun Pocono features a 5/8th mile long oval dirt track and hosts harness racing basically year-round.

There are several eateries at this property including casual options such as Bar Louie (American), Bean and Wine Cafe and Wine Bar, Johnny Rockets (burgers), Molly O’Shea’s (Irish pub style), Pacer Clubhouse (bar food near racetrack), Pearl Sushi Bar, Slice’d (pizza) and Tony Luke’s (sandwiches) to round out the casual choices.

Fine dining consists of the well-known Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse as well as the Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar, which features wood-oven pizzas as well as Tuscan inspired dishes.

There are six or so bars also scattered throughout the property, some of which have various bar food selections or give the ability to order something from one of the restaurant menus.

Shopping at the property includes Marshall Rousso, a women’s clothing store.  Momentum Travel and Experiences is a vacation planner through which you can also use your Momentum players club dollars—that’s certainly unusual.  I usually book a trip to a casino, not go to the casino so I can book a trip.  Ruby Blue is something of a women’s knickknack and gift store.

As far as entertainment goes, some of the property’s bars would normally have free live entertainment on weekends.  There’s a full-scale event center, a comedy club and a ballroom.

Overall, it has just enough to constitute a destination casino, in my opinion…but just barely.  Mainly, it lacks offerings for the whole family and isn’t even accepting any guests under 21 right now anyway.  More than that, there are only a couple of stores at this property and the eateries are kind of, “Just enough,” for a property of resort scope.  I wouldn’t necessarily build a trip out of spending a week here, but it might be worth it for a weekend if you’re not too far away or have to visit the general area anyway.

Mount Airy Casino Resort

Mount Airy Casino Resort, similar to Mohegan Sun, is located in The Poconos.  The property is owned by Mount Airy No. 1, LLC, which is simple enough…and the casino floor comes in at a relatively trim 62,000 square feet.

This is another Pennsylvania casino property that is directly home to a hotel.  The hotel consists of 188 total rooms, of which 25 are suites.  This property sits on more than 1,000 acres of land and is home to an eighteen-hole golf course.  Hotel guests will enjoy an indoor pool, business center, wireless internet and fitness center.  Mount Airy also proudly proclaims that they are the only AAA Four Diamond winning hotel in the state for ten years running.  What does being a Four Diamond AAA hotel really mean?  Almost nothing, but I guess it’s fun to say.

The property boasts over 1,800 of the, ‘Hottest slots,” which I assume to mean combined slot, video poker and video keno games.  There is a partial list of titles available on their website.

The property has over 80 table games including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Criss Cross Poker, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Spanish 21, Three-Card Poker, Midi Baccarat, Crazy 4 Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em Bonus, Big Six, Mississippi Stud and High-Card Flush.  As always, we strongly recommend calling ahead for the general operating times of your table of choice if it’s not a staple game, such as Blackjack.

The twelve table poker room is really nice and spread out with plenty of room to move around.  Though the primary game is Texas Hold ‘Em, they sometimes offer Omaha variants and Seven-Card Stud.

The sportsbook opens at 2:00p.m. on weekdays and 10:00a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.  There are three teller windows, but also betting kiosks if you prefer that or the windows are not open at the time.  This sportsbook has essentially been made part of the poker room, so they’re in the same area.  You can follow the action on as many as fifteen games at once with the forty TV’s throughout the room.

Dining options include, among others, Guy Fieri’s Pocono Kitchen.  I’m pretty sure the description for this on their website was written by Guy’s mother, check it out:

The menu at Guy Fieri’s Mt. Pocono Kitchen reflects his signature style of authentic and surprising flavors. Guy has traveled over 150,000 miles across America’s back roads in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in search of the best regional fare: Guy knows American food to the core. The dishes are crafted with the heart and soul of hometown favorites and infused with Guy’s big, daring flavors. You will find beloved comfort food with a spin only Guy could have envisioned. Hope you’re hungry, because Guy’s imagination knows no boundaries.

Other than the fact that it says American food in there, all that description does is tell me about how awesome Guy Fieri is and nothing about the restaurant.  Don’t get me wrong, he seems like a cool cat, but he brands restaurants like Michael Jordan brands Nike apparel…I want to know what’s unique about this restaurant!

Bistecca by Il Mulino is a steakhouse that specializes also in handcrafted pasta, fresh vegetables and local seafood.  Quite frankly, that sounds awesome AND is actually informative.

The Market is not actually a market, but rather, is the name of the property’s buffet.

Lucky 8 Sushi and Noodle Bar does what it says on the sign, and everyone knows what Starbucks is.  Finally, Pizzeria Montagna does what it says on that sign…pizza!

Headliners (it seems that 25% of large concert venues at casinos are called Headliners) is the large concert venue and has already scheduled some acts for early 2021…which is hopeful.  Let’s hope so!  Pia’s Lounge is one of the main bars on the property and occasionally features live entertainment.

Ultimately, this is another one that has just enough going on to qualify as a destination resort casino.  Much like Mohegan Sun Poconos, maybe you could build a full weekend around it, but not necessarily an entire week unless you’re also doing other stuff in the area.  It’s definitely worth a look if it’s not too far for you or you’re going through the Poconos anyway.

Parx Casino and Racing

Parx Casino was formerly known as Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino and is one of the casinos serving the Philadelphia market.  With a gaming floor spanning 150,000 square feet, it is one of the largest casino floors in the State of Pennsylvania.  The owner of the property is Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment Inc.

The horse racing track on the property has a one-mile dirt oval along with a seven furlong turf oval.  The property is also home to an event center called the XCite Center, which can seat as many as 1,500 people.  Many of the XCite Center acts originally scheduled for 2020 have been rescheduled for 2021.

For whatever reason, this property is not home to a hotel.

The property boasts an impressive 3,150 combined video poker, slot and video keno games along with a combined sixty video blackjack and video roulette games.  Their website also features an interactive map and detailed listing of games, so you can see if they have your machine of preference ahead of time.  Denominations range from pennies to hundreds.

The property is home to 199 table games including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Big Six, Three-Card Poker, Pai-Gow Tiles, Pai-Gow Poker, Four-Card Poker and Mini/Midi Baccarat.  If you’re looking for a particular game that is not one of the staples, then we recommend calling the casino ahead of time to get the usual operating hours.

One interesting component of the Parx website is that they theoretically have a live table game viewer, so that you can see what games are going on at any given time.  Unfortunately, when I tried to do it, it wouldn’t load after about five minutes of waiting.  Perhaps it’s just not loading properly right now and usually works.

There is usually a sizeable poker room at this casino, but it is presently being repurposed to further spread out (and therefore, operate) more slot machines due to COVID restrictions.  The Parx website does state that they intend to reopen the poker room as soon as they are able to do so.  Parx also features an impressive sportsbook that is brand new and currently operational.

The property features a number of eateries ranging from quick bites to upscale.  The property’s steakhouse is called Parxgrill.  Liberty Bell Gastropub features a wide variety of burgers and other American comfort foods.

The Beer Garden mostly features drinks and traditional pub fare. Bambu Noodle House does what it says on the sign, XLounge has bar food, The Lucky Cheese is your place for specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis, Foodies is the food court that has a number of different sandwich, pizza and other options.  Chickie & Pete’s is your go-to seafood pub while Paddock Grill is a burger place near the racetrack.

My take on Parx Casino is that it is pretty nice and looks brand new, but that it’s also pretty boring.  I’ve been there a few times.  The promotions they run aren’t great, my understanding is that the comps aren’t particularly good..and, despite its size and offerings, there’s really just nothing particularly distinctive or unique about the place.  It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the Philadelphia area, but I definitely think Rivers Pittsburgh (formerly SugarHouse) is more fun.

Presque Isle Downs and Casino

Presque Isle Downs and Casino is located in the Northwest part of the state, near Erie, and is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc.  This casino was originally built by MTR gaming, who was later bought out by El Dorado Resorts, who then sold the property to Churchill Downs as part of the Lady Luck Nemacolin deal last year.  It lists its location as Summit Township, PA.

The one mile racetrack is composed of a synthetic composite.  The property has no attached hotel and, coming in at under 50,000 square feet of gaming space, it has one of the smallest casino floors in the state.

The property boasts more than 1,500 combined slots, video poker and video keno machines.  Additionally, there are 32 table games and seven poker tables.  If that sounds like a lot given the limited square footage, it definitely is…things can get pretty tight in spots.

One thing that the casino has going for it is that all of the machines are listed on their website along with the location of the machine in the casino, so that’s definitely nice.  Denominations range from copper to C-Notes.

Table games include Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Pai-Gow Poker, High Card Flush, Let it Ride, Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.  You’ll definitely want to call ahead to get the typical operating hours for your game of choice at this casino.

Eateries include Churchill’s Bourbon and Brew which consists of wood-fired pizzas, steaks and seafood.  LBV Steakhouse is the property’s steakhouse.  The Backstretch Buffet is the property’s buffet and, when operating, has different themed days Friday-Sunday…but trust me, it’s pretty meaningless.  It just means a few dishes are different and the rest of the stuff is basically the same.  The InCafe is the place for grab and go items.

The property features live thoroughbred racing on different dates throughout the year as well as simulcast wagering year-round.  In normal times, there is sometimes live entertainment on weekends at one of the bars.

There’s nothing wrong with being a locals casino, but that’s exactly all that this is or wants to be.  I don’t recommend stopping at this casino unless you happen to be in the area anyway, or are taking a trip to the area for some other reason.  There really isn’t much to see here that you can’t find at almost any other casino.

Rivers Casino Philadelphia

Rivers Casino Philadelphia, sometimes just called, “Rivers,” “Rivers Casino,” or, “The Rivers,” is owned by Rush Street Gaming along with Rivers Pittsburgh and a few out-of-state properties.  This casino was originally called SugarHouse Casino, which made me wonder why it would not have been branded Rivers as there is a Rivers Casino in Illinois.

After that, the name changed and I wondered why.  Sugarhouse was a cool little name with a cool little logo, (the logo was the word Sugar on top and House on the bottom with the ‘U’ and ‘O’ just above the other letters like a slot machine reel about to click into place…it took me awhile to figure that out) so I’d have thought it became something of a brand unto itself.

Speaking of small, the property doesn’t have a hotel and the gaming floor consists of a trim 45,000 square feet of space.  There are additional phases planned that partially involve building a hotel, but it’s hard to tell when that will happen…or if.

Apparently, the property was formerly home to the Jack Frost Sugar refinery, which is how it got its name and interior design.  The entire design of the place is called, “Industrial,” which just means it looks kind of like a factory (particularly with the exposed ceiling s and pipes) and is kind of similar to the Cannery Casino theme in North Las Vegas.

The website doesn’t give a slot count, but the PA Gaming Report has it at 1,755 combined video poker, video keno and slot machine games as of 2019.  The last time I was there, they had a few video poker games paying north of 98%, but you have to kind of look around.  Rivers Philadelphia (I’m just calling it Sugarhouse the rest of the way) can definitely get a bit tight in spots with that machine count compared to square footage.  This is especially true around the players club area, particularly when one promotion or another generates a big line that ends up wrapping around some machine banks.

According to the PA Annual Report, Sugarhouse offered something in the neighborhood of 105 table games and a 28 table poker room.  The poker room is pretty sizeable and is located in a totally separate room down a hallway, so that I believe, but I’m a bit incredulous as to the 105 table games claim.  Although, the tables games are all jammed quite closely together, so I guess it’s possible.

Table games include Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Spanish 21, High Card Flush, Pai-Gow Tiles, EZ Pai-Gow Poker, Midi/Mini Baccarat, EZ Baccarat, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Asia Poker, Mississippi Stud Poker, Heads Up Hold ‘Em and Four Card Poker.  There is also an Asian Gaming area with table games and some themed slot machines located near the Mian quick bites eatery.

The BetRivers Sportsbook opens at 11:00a.m. daily…and they put it in an area that had sat relatively open for quite some time as if they knew sports betting would eventually be legalized.  It was pretty weird that, with the machines packed in like they are, you’d just have this big open area sitting there…but there you go.

In addition to Mian mentioned earlier, SugarHouse is home to Hugo’s Frog Bar and Chop House which has some pretty good food and excellent desserts.  Jacks is in the food court and mostly consists of burgers and American fare, Lou’s Pizza is in the food court, Coffee Spot is in the food court, Geno’s Steaks is the place for Philly cheesesteak and other sandwiches and along with The Marketplace, are also in the food court.

Hugo’s sometimes features live entertainment on weekends.

What makes SugarHouse one of my favorite casinos is basically the opposite of why I like Hollywood Grantville…it’s loud, brash and in-your-face.  The place is often packed almost wall-to-wall and is very noisy between the music and the crowd.  It’s definitely something of a packed Vegas casino experience there.  It would be fun to live in between the two, then if I was in the mood to go to a casino, I could just pick which one depending on if I want noise or relaxation.

Despite the Philadelphia location, it’s very much a locals casino at this time, or a casino for people who have to be in the Central Philly area (Fishtown) for one reason or another.  As fun as it is, I definitely wouldn’t build a trip around visiting Sugarhouse.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh

Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA is right in the heart of some of the best attractions in town.  Located on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, this casino property is practically next-door neighbors with PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh Steelers) and the Carnegie Science Center.  This location also makes it relatively easy to get to (by Pittsburgh standards) on non-game days.  Traffic can obviously get pretty congested if the Steelers are playing…the Pirates?  Not so much.

Rivers Casino was ranked the #1, “Resort Casino,” in Pennsylvania, which is something that they really enjoy promoting on interior signage.  This writer isn’t sure how it qualifies as a, “Resort,” of any kind—given that it does not have a hotel.  There are any number of hotels somewhat nearby, but some people would feel comfortable walking around the area at night and others might be more hesitant.

There was once a listings site that ranked Rivers Pittsburgh as one of the Top 10 casinos in the United States for gambling square footage, but I promise you that claim was ridiculous and will not be found anywhere else.  The casino floor is not particularly large.  I forget who the source of that list was, but hopefully they’ve modified it.

Rivers Casino currently puts itself at, “Over 100,” table games, but it is almost certainly including stadium type seating in that number.  Either that, or it is including the tables in the poker room.  The Pennsylvania Annual Report for 2019 puts them at 80 house-banked games and 30 non-banked (poker) games.  Table games include Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Midi Baccarat, Three-Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Four-Card Poker, Let it Ride, Big Six, Mini Baccarat and Pai-Gow Poker.

As always, if you’re looking for a particular table game that is not one of the casino staples, then we highly recommend calling ahead to get the general operating hours for your game of choice.  Blackjack and Craps are almost always available at this casino.

The table games area is more active than many Regional casinos, largely owing to the fact that Rivers Casino is somewhat walkable from other areas of the North Shore.  Additionally, many different types of public transit, “The T,” or bus, will get you within walking range.  Because of that, you end up with a fairly economically diverse crowd…but it definitely makes for a busy casino.  This is another casino that likes to have tables dead center of the action, with the slots basically wrapped around them.

Poker is not going on at the moment, due to COVID-19, but in normal times there is a poker room completely separate from the casino floor with about thirty tables.  In fact, this is easily the most active poker room in the region.  The poker room is reasonably spacious, especially considering not all tables are generally in use at once, except some super busy weekends.

The property features roughly 2,600 combined slot machines, video keno and video poker machines.  The property claims that some 200 of these machines are video poker, which seems at least close to being true…particularly if you include the bartops.  There are a few video poker games that return 98%+ if you’re really willing to look around for them.  Denominations on slots range from pennies to C-Notes.  The high limit room is semi-separate from the main casino floor and there is a completely separate room for high-limit table games, particularly Baccarat.

Rivers has roughly 1,000 non-smoking machines that are basically separated into their own section.  In general , the side near the elevators from the parking garage relative to the table games is non-smoking and the other side is smoking.  There’s a little bit of cross-over, in spots.  The high-limit slot room is smoking.

The Wheelhouse is a combination eatery/bar that has the expected pub type food and is located just off of the casino floor.  The two bars on the casino floor are the Drum Bar and Spiral Bar.  Even in normal times, it’s very rare to see live entertainment in the casino bars because there wouldn’t really be anywhere for them to set up.

The Grand View Buffet is currently closed as a result of CV-19, but normally would operate with an Asian area, Italian area, American/Comfort food areas and a dessert area.  I would definitely put this buffet among the top several casino buffets in the country, hopefully you can get a seat overlooking the river if it ever opens again.  Try the pepperoni rolls!!!  You’ll thank me.

Flipt is the place for burgers and sandwiches and is located near the elevators off of the parking garage.  If you enter the casino and make a left, you’re basically there.  It’s quick service food that is pretty okay and reasonably-priced compared to similar eateries at other casinos.

Ciao is a relatively new stop in the casino that has quick casual pizza and sandwiches.

Mian is also relatively new and features Asian food.

Martorano’s Prime is a combination high-end steakhouse and Italian Restaurant.  This restaurant is the property’s upscale option.

The Event Center at Rivers regularly features well-known acts during normal times.

Overall, Rivers Pittsburgh is basically just a somewhat upscale locals casino compared to others.  This writer prefers The Meadows, overall, but Rivers is basically fine.  If you’re in Pittsburgh and don’t want to go too far, then Rivers should be your choice.  There are also a lot of great restaurants and to-dos near the casino, so the location is a definite win.

Valley Forge Casino Resort

Valley Forge Casino Resort is located in King of Prussia, PA, which is just west of Philadelphia.  To get here from Philly, you could either take the turnpike or go along US-1.

Valley Forge was the first (of two, with Lady Luck Nemacolin) of the Category 3 casinos to be built in the state.  Similarly, they once had to have patrons purchase a $10 gift card to enter the casino floor, (this was good for ittance for 24 hours) but the casino was able to buy its way out of that requirement for a million bucks last year.  Sounds like an easy million for the State of Pennsylvania, doesn’t it?

The property was once independently owned by the Valley Forge Convention Center, but it was purchased by Boyd Gaming in 2018.

In addition to its own hotel, the property is home to a Radisson hotel.

The casino floor, at 40,000 square feet, is presently the smallest in the state.

As with the other Boyd Gaming casinos, their web development team doesn’t seem to care whether or not their site works on Google Chrome…so they get a snapshot overview accordingly.

Table Games–48 total tables according to PA Annual Report.  I specifically recall they have Blackjack, Craps and Three-Card Poker.  They probably have other games, but their site is awful, so I’m not going to list them.

Slot Machines—850 combined slot machines, video keno and video poker according to the PA Annual Report.  Video Poker, at best, is 10-15% of these even if you include the bartops.  I didn’t have the time to exhaustively scour the machines, but I did not see any 98%+ returning games out of a sample of 10-ish machines and 60-ish games.

Poker—None.

Sports Book—They have one.

Food—They have food.

Sorry, but they’re getting the listing they deserve for having a website that doesn’t work.  If they don’t care, why should we?  The Philadelphia area has a few really good casinos with sites that work on Google Chrome.

Having been to this property a few times, I can say that there is definitely an emphasis on great service, so that’s nice.  The food court had a decent sandwich, but the prices were pretty ridiculous, even by casino standards.  The table games area is right in the middle of the casino floor with slots wrapping around and they have a small high-limit room.

If I had to choose between this and Lady Luck Nemacolin, my choice would definitely be Lady Luck.  Mainly, I like the layout of Lady Luck better…of course, these two casinos are about seven hours from one another…so you probably won’t have to choose anyway.

Wind Creek Bethlehem

Previously known as Sands Bethlehem, but then purchased by Wind Creek Hospitality, (Poarch Band of Indians) Wind Creek is (obviously) located in Bethlehem, PA, which is an hour or so roughly North of Philadelphia.  The casino is home to a 300+ room hotel and has an expansive gambling floor spanning 139,000 square feet.

The original developer and owner was the Las Vegas Sands Corporation of Las Vegas (hence the original name) prior to the sale to Wind Creek.

The property boasts over 200 table games, but is probably including poker in that count.  The PA Annual Report has them at 189 house-banked table games and 26 poker tables.  Table games include: Big Six, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Craps, Criss Cross Poker, Fortune Pai Gow Poker, Free Bet Blackjack, Let It Ride Stud Poker, Mini/Midi Baccarat, Pai Gow Tiles, Roulette, Sic Bo, Texas Hold’em Bonus and Three Card Poker.

As always, we recommend calling ahead for the usual hours of operation if you’re looking for a particular table game outside of the casino staples.

The PA Annual Report has them at 3,029 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines.  Wind Creek’s website states that denominations range from pennies to hundreds.

The property is home to a spacious 26-table poker room that is located near the Molten Lounge.

Typically, hotel amenities would include an indoor pool, fitness center, wireless internet and a Kids Quest play area and arcade.  There are also plans (at least, as of last year) to build an indoor waterpark at the property.

The property is also home to its own outlet mall, with stores such as Christopher & Banks, Bass Factory Outlet, Corningware Corelle & More, Fragrance Outlet, Lenox, Steel Magnolia Salon and Spa, General Store Card$mart, Van Heusen and ZOD Golf.  Those are the stores where the property has a preferred shopper program, for other stores (examples are Famous Footwear and Tommy Hilfiger) we recommend visiting their website for the full list.

Upscale eateries include Emeril’s Chop House and Emeril’s Fish House.  Another Emeril-branded eatery is Burgers and More by Emeril.  Carlo’s Bakery is the place for those of you with a sweet tooth with pastries and novelty drinks.  Croissanterie is a second bakery-type location, mainly specializing in breads.  Chopstick is an Asian casual restaurant.  The Market Gourmet Express is the place for grab & go as well as quick bites.  The property’s buffet is called Steelworks.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t particularly impressed with Steelworks Buffet, although it was within an hour of closing…so I also probably wasn’t getting the food at its freshest point.  The selection was also kind of underwhelming, it’s not a particularly large buffet by casino standards.

The property’s bars are called Coil, Molten Lounge and Vision Bar.  Normally, there is occasionally live entertainment at some of these venues on weekends.  The property is also home to a sizeable event center that occasionally hosts well-known national acts.

It’ll be interesting if they can ever make the waterpark happen, but even without, there’s no question that this is the closest thing Pennsylvania has to a destination casino.  Between the arcade and all the shopping, as well as the variety of restaurants, it’s tough to argue.  I don’t know that a person could build an entire week around a trip to this property, but certainly could find something new to do for several days.  They’re definitely at least making an effort to have the casino amenities be as attractive as those to be found in Atlantic City….of course, you’re still missing the ocean, but not much they can do about that.

Slot Machine Ownership

If you live in Pennsylvania you can own antique slot machines that are 25 years old and older only.

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Conclusion

Overall, Pennsylvania has just about any type of gambling that you could ever want, with exception to convenience (parlor) gambling.  It seems that they are tiptoeing their way to more and more convenience gambling, and I expect parlors (such as West Virginia) to eventually be legalized one day.  It might be several years, but one day.

Even going down US-40 on the Western side of the state into West Virginia, the first thing you see as you cross the border are a handful of parlors…and they definitely didn’t plant themselves there for convenience on the West Virginia side, as there doesn’t seem to be so much residential there to three locations.  It’s pretty clearly for those denizens as well as people who want to hop over from PA and play who may not like all the hustle and bustle of the full-scale casinos.  (Not to mention the drive)

Even during the full COVID-19 shutdown, the one thing that you COULD do that was decidedly inessential is go to a gas station and buy a lottery ticket…so there’s no question that Harrisburg (the capital) likes its money.

But, if you’re not a resident of Pennsylvania or a border state, then you’re probably not concerned with convenience gambling.  That being the case, other than the fact that the casinos are VERY spread out, the state has everything you could ever want.  The closest concentration of casinos is in the Philadelphia area, and even those are some miles apart.  Aside from that, Rivers Pittsburgh and Meadows Washington are some 26 miles from one another.

Questions and Answers

References

• Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
• Pennsylvania Lottery