First Casino in Greater Pittsburgh
Now Open for Business

Following two years of work, the Meadows Racetrack and Casino opened the first casino in the Greater Pittsburgh Region in June 2007. Owner of the Meadows, Las Vegas-based Cannery Casino Resorts (CCR), broke ground on the 82,000-square-foot, temporary casino in November 2006 and completed construction in about seven months. This temporary facility previews a permanent casino slated to open early in 2009. CCR also owns the Rampart Casino and the Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. A second, the Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel, scheduled to open in August 2008, will be located in East Las Vegas. 

Before the new casino opened for business, management conducted two charity nights that attracted 10,000 visitors, generated $2.9 million in wagers, and brought in more than $100,000 in charitable contributions for the Greater Washington County Food Bank and The Washington Hospital.

On the first day in business, players wagered $8.6 million and won $7.9 million, leaving gross revenues for the casino of $701,000. “It was a highly successful day for The Meadows and our guests,” said Mike Grainger, vice president and general manager of The Meadows. Thirty-four percent of casino revenue goes to the State of Pennsylvania.

The Meadows is the first casino in Pennsylvania to offer several games such as Keno, video roulette, and a version of Monopoly. The casino includes 1,738 slot machines, a 360-seat all-you-can-eat restaurant, a snack bar, and sports bar with 24 bar-top video poker games. The gaming floor includes a variety of slot machines – some costing a penny to play, others costing $25 — including popular games such as Wheel of Fortune and Hot Hot Penny.

Most of the construction, goods, and services related to construction on the temporary casino came from local-area businesses, and CCR expects about 1,000 local jobs to be created for construction of the temporary and permanent casinos. The Meadows hired area residents to fill 430 of the 450 jobs in the temporary casino alone.

According to CCR, when the permanent, 350,000-square-foot, two-story casino opens in 2009, the facility will hold 3,000 slot machines. The casino will integrate the horse-racing and casino functions to make it a destination entertainment experience. The casino complex will have a covered, grandstand area overlooking the racetrack and a 200-seat simulcast area connected to outdoor, grandstand seating.

Plans for the casino also include a premier steak house and a specialty restaurant that will overlook the race track. A centrally located lounge and bar with terraced seating will feature panoramic views of the gaming floor and race track. And a circular food court accessible from the gaming floor and grandstands will accommodate six different food outlets. VIP boxes will be available and provide a select view of the race track.

Improvements to local roads paid for by The Meadows allow traffic to run smoothly near the casino. “People who want to play slots won’t have to fight inner-city traffic or small roads,” said Grainger. “We’re right off Interstate 79.mg”