why is the Rivers Casino performing so poorly? (Erie, Atlantic: hotel, home)

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I'm not a casino guy, but isn't the cost of a beer going to be way less than transportation costs to pretty much anywhere?

I don't gamble, period. But while in NY some friends took us to the Seneca Valley Casino outside of Jamestown. It was a Sunday afternoon and after playing about 5 bucks in the nickle slots I was ready to leave. Then I found heaven. A huge bar with all the football games on. And built into the bar in front of every bar stool was a draw poker machine. As long as you played, you drank for free. Lost about 20 bucks, drank about 40, and watched the Stillers n'at, a win-win for me.

[wanderlust76]

The beer is a ripoff at the casinos here in WV too. How can a casino charge "more" for a pint of draft beer than a lot of bars or clubs do? It's insane. I do like The Rivers though the parking garage is really convenient you can be off the interstate and parked in like a minute. Depending on traffic of course.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by wanderlust76

The beer is a ripoff at the casinos here in WV too. How can a casino charge "more" for a pint of draft beer than a lot of bars or clubs do? It's insane. I do like The Rivers though the parking garage is really convenient you can be off the interstate and parked in like a minute. Depending on traffic of course.

I guess because people pay for it. Especially people that travelled a bit, people on a trip are usually a little looser with their purse strings.

[Tirade]

I went to Rivers for the first time today and was very disappointed with the experience. The atmosphere reeked of desperation and was depressing. It was half-full of elderly people, half-full of people staring mindlessly and blankly into screens. Nobody looked like they were having fun.

Another complaint was the obnoxious ever-present smoke and lack of a non-smoking section. I ended up leaving the casino with a sore throat from breathing in so much smoke. Now I smoke occasionally (outside!) and I'm against smoking bans, so I'm hardly a militant anti-smoking Nazi, but this was too just too much even for me. There is no reason why they couldn't have designated smoking and non-smoking sections.

[AaronPGH]

I'm pretty sure there are smoking and non-smoking sections? Maybe they're just not doing a good enforcement job...

[Pitt Chick]

I walked by the no smoking table games today, so they DO exist!

When I was there today, the overall crowd was heavily male...
and the poker tables were almost all 20 and 30 somethings. With only one gal in the mix.

[Tirade]

Originally Posted by AaronClark

I'm pretty sure there are smoking and non-smoking sections? Maybe they're just not doing a good enforcement job...

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

I walked by the no smoking table games today, so they DO exist!

When I was there today, the overall crowd was heavily male...
and the poker tables were almost all 20 and 30 somethings. With only one gal in the mix.

The problem is that the smoke permeates the entire gaming floor, and the smell hits you as soon as you walk in. Any "non-smoking" section they have is laughable; you can avoid sitting directly next to a smoker, but you're still stuck breathing in the smoke from the many smokers sitting a few rows away. Coupled with a very ****ty ventilation system, you'll end up with a headache or sore throat if you spend more than hour there regardless of whether you are at a non-smoking table or machine. Everyone in my party left the casino feeling ill, so this is not just me being a paranoid hypochondriac.

And yes, I saw young people there too as well. I stand by my original statement that nobody looked like they were having fun. The desperate and lifeless looks on everyone's faces was sad.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Tirade

I stand by my original statement that nobody looked like they were having fun. The desperate and lifeless looks on everyone's faces was sad.

That's exactly the impression I got when I was there too. There seems to be more excitement at Mountaineer of all places. It's probably because there's nothing to do in the casino besides gamble and no free booze is being served. Not to mention the lack of outside attractions, shows, exhibits, is there even a nightclub? It says they have one on their site but all I saw were bars that served high price drinks.

[SCIKasey]

I like craps, and have gone exactly once to the Rivers. It's too expensive ($10 or $15 tables), and it stinks. The poker room I believe is non smoking, but it still smells. If they offered $5 tables and a smoke free environment, I bet more people would go.

[Faer]

Originally Posted by SCIKasey

I like craps, and have gone exactly once to the Rivers. It's too expensive ($10 or $15 tables), and it stinks. The poker room I believe is non smoking, but it still smells. If they offered $5 tables and a smoke free environment, I bet more people would go.

Agreed. Rivers seems to be unwilling to eat the cost on some of those expensive slot machines, so the table games have very limited floor space. To stand in line to play blackjack a $15-a-hand minimum (yes that is the cheapest they have) is completely unacceptable. I absolutely refuse to go there again unless they fix that (I HATE slots).

My second, lesser gripe is that the place is basically setup for nothing but gambling and drinking. I know that's the primary function of Casinos, but there just isn't enough "Entertainment" value there for me to make even a simple Friday night out of it. In other words, its a gambling destination, not an entertainment destination. A decent restaurant or two would go a very long way (I will not eat there again).