Craps - OK
Blackjack - too many decks and continuous shoes
Slots - fairly loose
Buffet - average at best
Wheelhouse Restaurant - above average (try the pastrami sandwich and cobb salad)

This is a place to go, for texas holdem poker players. The amount of action is unusual for these times. Many players are simply crazy and there seems to be generally a lot of money on the table. So go to rivers, sit down at the poker table, be patient, don't bluff and likely you will do very well.

Save your $$$. Slots payout is pathetic and place looks filthy .

I have been playing at the Rivers Casino since 2010. In that time, I have "earned" the "Triple Diamond" status, and contrary to some of the posts below, I can vouch that being a Triple Diamond has done nothing for me in terms of winning more - in fact, I have lost more money as a Triple Diamond member than when I started, AND the monthly free slot play has decreased significantly. People need to understand that the moth-eaten state of Pennsylvania takes 55% of every dollar lost, which as the majority of reviews here indicate, it does add up, it is very noticeable to the player and something needs to be done. Call your assemblyman/woman and demand that the state loosen the reins and make gaming fair and honest. At this point, it's legalized extortion, plain and simple. The casino can only pay out what its bringing in, less the 55% cut it has to divvy out to the scum of Harrisburg. This is why the slots are so tight, table games have such a high hold. Don't necessarily blame the casino, blame the absconders in Harrisburg, the Gaming Control Board, etc. Call your legislative branch and send a clear message that their free ride at the expense of the player needs to be leveled out to a fair playing field. Until the state gives up such a high hold, expect tight slots, etc. No casino can offer loose games with the regulations set by the state government.

I will say this, the Casino Hosts are all amazing people. Audrey, Dave (Players Club), Anita, Kris, Michael, John... These guys rock, and have been A+++.

For those wondering my "coin-in" (money I have put in the machine) since Jan 1, 2011 is $117,600, and my "coin-out" (money the machine has paid back out to me) is $100,900 - or a payout percentage of 86.6%. By industry standards, these are pathetic odds - and it's time people get together and tell the state lawmakers it's time they give back to the players who support the industry.

Terrible! We have been to this casino many times. We don't go that often, maybe once a month. Most of those times we didn't have any issues. Well, the casino made up for that the night of August 27th! We had decided to take a trip down, unaware that there was a Steelers game. We waited in traffic for over 2 hours thinking that the casino would most likely be empty. When we got to the parking garage, we were told that that the garage was full due to $25 event parking. We were then directed to valet parking that was going to cost $31. After being rerouted to the valet, we were told that that was closed as well. We called the Rivers contact number and all we got was a bunch of BS and attitude. We asked if it was just people parking in the garage for the game that were being charged the parking fee. The "gentleman" on the phone informed us that the fee applied to even the casino patrons, but that if we earned 250 points this visit the $25 dollars would be refunded. That would have been nice if we would have been able to get inside. After all of the traffic and aggravation, we were forced to turn around and go right back home. It seems to me that the Rivers Casino cared more about making money from the game than the actual casino customers. I understand that it made that casino a profit, but couldn't they have saved spots for their patrons? We will not be back to this place. One bad experience was enough for me.

To make this short and sweet this is one of the worst Casinos I have ever been to and I go all over the country. Parking is attrocious and the machines NEVER EVER give a BONUS when you are betting MAX. I literally ran thousands through every denomination machine in the place and they all were like that. I would recommend going to The Meadows before wasting your money here even though they too are very tight. These Casinos simply don't understand that they have to give a little back once in a while if they want us to keep coming. This is one of the ones that will just keeping taking and NEVER give any back. STAY AWAY and find another place, even if you have to buy a plane ticket. It will be cheaper, trust me.

This place is awful.....better spend money on flight to LV.

It goes without saying that a fool and his money are easily parted. It is gambling and losses are the norm, not winnings. We all understand this, yet the "wouldn't it be nice to..." mentality drives us on. I have been to the Rivers Casino often. It is a generally unpleasant place for gamblers as machines truly appear to be far tighter than other area casinos, but the people watching is better than at a walmart on food stamp day. These are a few thoughts, and i hope to accurately depict the Rivers Casino's good and bad points. With the sports stadiums, concert stage, and various hipster eateries and bars nearby, you get a lot of heavy traffic while approaching the casino. Parking is free most of the time, though spots within the garage are narrow and hard to come by during evening or weekend hours. Once inside the Rivers, where you will be greeted by crowded aisles, silly bad music and an overall air of despair. Again it is a casino. As in any casino, you will find a large population of elderly citizens who gamble for hours on end trying to feel alive. They move slowly, have to play 3 slot machines at a time, and give you dirty looks when you play what they have deemed to be the machine that they may have wanted to play at some point during their visit. Like any casino, it attracts people who don't know when to say when, or desperately gamble their money away hoping to pay rent and utilities. If you visit the Rivers on or about the days when welfare checks and social security are direct deposited, the people watching is at its absolute peak. The spectacle of senior citizens and welfare recipients from the low income/high crime area 2 blocks from the casino really should be enjoyed by all at least once. While there, you will see an absurd amount of money being put into the slot machines, but very little coming out. I have heard people win, yelling and clapping and all the rest, only to see that someone did a $3 bet, and won $72. Once I heard a high roller win over $10k. When I investigated, I found the wager to be 5 credits at $25 per credit. Certainly, if you are chancing $125 per spin, one would hope that a winning would sound decent. When you see someone bet $1.50 and win $200 dollars, that is a major win for the place. Again, the machines are tighter now than ever before I say this confidently after 200 or more visits there. Recently a local news channel also expressed an interest into this truth only to confirm it. Noise levels fluctuate. Some of the machines could wake the dead, some of them that should have sound are silent. It is common to hear a noisy machine blasting the sounds of bonus spins or "big wins" only to walk past and see that the player won $15 to $60 dollars. People who play the $1 wheel of fortune slots inevitably always win the lowest 2 amounts on the wheel. Maybe 1 player in a few thousand gets a good take, but don't bank on leaving there wealthy.
When my friends and I go, we play for a few hours, waste some money, and leave with stories to tell. It's a place to go, a thing to do.
The food is mediocre. The restaurants within are bland and pricey, and the buffet is heat lamp heaven. There are free pepsi product fountain drinks, approx 10 oz cups, but the drinks never taste right at all. Better food is available on the way to and fro, so we do not eat there often.
This is the kicker of the visit. The air within is putrid and stale. It smells of cheap cigarettes, heavy perfume, over-priced Budweisers, body odor and broken dreams. Trust me, you will want to launder your clothes immediately upon returning home.
The commercials are beyond misleading. There are no smiling, attractive young men and women in suits and cocktail dresses. It is crowded, noisy and filthy.
So, in many ways, the casino is just something to do.

I have over $66,000 in slot play only at this casino since January 1, 2011 and my payout percentage is 88%. I play the higher end slot games, $1 machines and above. The payouts are horrible. The State requires that the machines be set at a minimum payout percentage of 85%. Given my numbers, most, if not all of the slot machines at Rivers Casino are set at the State Minimum, if even that. When you ask for explanations from managers, they point fingers at the state gaming people. When you talk to the gaming people, they point fingers at the state assembly. It's a scam cycle, and people who patronize this pathetic excuse of a casino are doing nothing but throwing good money away. Your money would be better spent hopping on a Southwest flight to Vegas for the day, and enjoying a much friendlier staff in the Vegas casinos. While there are a few decent Rivers employees, most of them are useless, rude and do absolutely nothing to resolve your questions, or help you out. For those who are interested in a class action lawsuit against Rivers Casino, please contact me. This casino is a scam in every sense of the word. They need to hire staff that are courteous, they need to give the site a good scrub, as it is filthy, and above all - the machines need to BE LOOSENED UP!!!!! This by far is the WORST casino in the industry, and a good lawsuit against the casino and the state would be a great start to start changes.

If you want to enjoy yourself this isnt the place to be . Odds are trash, food expensive and atmosphere filthy.I wish the rating scale here had negative scores it would be minus10. Meadows way better casino.

The Rivers should change its slogan to Have A Losing Day..because when you play at this sorry ass casino ,the only winner is them and Pennsylvania..Greedy!

My latest visit to the Rivers Casino was by far the most rewarding. Not because I won, ( that would of been quoted as a MIRACLE, not rewarding.) Don't get me wrong, I won 5 or 6 times since I started going to the Rivers. Take in account,that I go on average 2 times a week since there opening. And that my largest win was about 280.00 dollars. For the most part I play penny slots and always bet between .60&.90 cent. So I said to myself,maybe if I raise my wager, I'll have a better chance of winning. So I started off with a couple different machines betting a dollar. I wasn't getting crushed,but still found myself down about 80 bucks after an hour and a half. So I decided to focus on 1 machine. I watched a lady put a 76 dollar voucher in a stacked wild penny slot. She was there about 15 minutes on a $1.20 spin. I asked if she was having any luck,with a confused look she shook her head NO. I thought since she lost 76 dollars in that machine, I would try my luck there. I put a hundred dollar bill in and set my wager to1.50 a spin. I could be wrong, but it felt like only 5 minutes before I had to put in my last 50 bucks. And just as fast as the hundred was gone, so was the 50. Now I understand we can't always win,that's not my complaint. What is my complaint, is that I watched a lady lose 76 dollars in a blink of an eye and myself 150.00 dollars,just as fast,same machine, with the biggest win of any of my spins being 6 dollars and .80 cent. Anyone who plays machines knows that's pathetic. So I decided to say something to a management. The response I got was the most rewarding. He said to me, maybe you shouldn't come here. I did take his advice,thank you. I started going to the meadows, my first week there on a .60 cent bet, I had a 400.00 dollar hit. I won more money at the meadows my first 3 weeks,than I won at the rivers in a year and a half. Also the staff and players are so much more pleasant. The Rivers is so ghetto, they have people coming off the streets to get warm and get free drinks. My husband quit going there long before me, because he almost got into fights with disrespectful patrons. He has been trying to get me to go to the meadows for quite some time. Wish I only would of listened to him sooner.

When we first started going to the Rivers, it was great. We had some losing days, but we had some really good winning days. Now I don't spend nearly as much as my wife, so I feel much worse for her. She averages going there 3 to 4times a week,losing hundreds. And still never called her once for a good prize. The most she was given for the gift of earning 250 points was 10 bucks. And it took a couple hundred to get the 250 points. Finally she realized they are nothing but money takers. And we vowed not to go back till we hear things changed. Unfortunately, too many people will keep going and giving them their money. So it will be a long time before any changes are made. For once it would be nice to watch people stand up for what should be right.

Did not have a good time. Bad Casino

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh but left to live in Michigan in 1969. Recently went back for a visit during Christmas holiday.
I guess I am spoiled by the Michigan / Native American casinos. They have much better payouts and even when we don't win we can play all day or all night and still break even. My wife and I have been to casinos in other states and Vegas as well and knowing what we know we would not recommend The Rivers Casino. The sad part is that if this casino is someone's first casino or gaming experience the gaming industry will lose some people forever as they will think that all casinos are like The Rivers. To anyone reading this that has only gone to The Rivers please do not give up. There are a lot of good casinos with better payouts on the slots and low minimum bets or antes that are much more comfortable for working class people like us and others. The high rollers don't keep the casinos open. It's people like us. The biggest disappointment was that after you sign up for your players club card you are informed that you have to lose money, over $100, before you qualify for your free play. All the other casinos we have been to give you your free play first. With the slots as tight as they are at The Rivers why would they provide a "loss incentive" to encourage you to gamble more? We always gamble more when we're winning. With only 4 casinos in the entire state I guess they figure there's no competition and they don't have to "sweeten" things up to attract business. One thing we do know. We have been gaming since 1995 and know a lot of people that do, even bumping into them in other parts of the country. Once the word gets out that a casino is run like this one gamers will avoid it. I will say that we did have lunch at the West End Cafe and the food was good and worth the price we paid.

This casino is one word GARBAGE!!!

We are not experienced gamblers. Went to the Rivers with a bus tour. Unfortunately it was New Years Eve. Did notice some pluses. Clean restrooms (what a surprise considering the crowd). Free soft drinks and coffee and free samples of champagne around midnight. On the down side, Smoke was terrible. Had to go through or past a smoking area to get to restaurants. Very Bad! Ask for a Tangueray and tonic at a bar, it came out of a dispenser and I'm sure it was not Tangueray. When I ask the bar tender about it, she said oh yes it was Tangueray. Not! we went up to the buffet that the wait was 2 1/2 hours. When we went to the Wheelhouse we were told it was a 1 1/2 hour wait, but at least we didn't have to stand in line and wait. Turned out to be 2 hours for a fish sandwich that was not even average, but my wife like her salmon. Just got an email offering $5.00 to come back. Boy, can they afford it? I Know it was a bad time to go there, but I think it will be a long time before I go back, if I ever do.

Stopped by for an evening while visiting Pgh. Don't expect this to be Las Vegas...it just isn't. The person I was with played the slots and they seemed pretty tight. I only play craps. I left with $150 more than I started with after 1 hour of playing. My complaints are that the tables were extremely crowded. The casino should have opened another 2 tables to compensate for the number of people playing, The patrons tend to be of the "low life" crowd. I was surprised at how ghetto many of the patrons were. The dealers seemed to need more training, Most of the dealers had trouble figuring out how much payouts should be and then delivering the winnings to the right player. The decor is not fancy. The restaurants are limited and there is not a hotel that is connected to the establishment. The positives are that the employees that I encountered all seemed to be anywhere from pleasant to very nice. All of them seemed to be helpful. I also did not expect to walk into the Bellagio when I arrived at the Rivers, so my expectations were not dashed. All in all it was still a good time and I would probably go back. The Rivers Casino iswhat it is and no more. Have fun, but take it for what it is. LUCK!

This place is worse than the Pirates baseball team, although neither one pays very well. The first time might have been bad luck, the second time might have been the wrong time, but this time it was definitely the wrong place. I said I’d never go back after the second time, but once again was pulled in by hope. There is no hope left at this casino. Three trips of over $300 per trip and not even a 20 dollar win? Walk around when you get there and pay attention to the machine’s previous payouts... All under $20. You are better off putting your money in and cashing out, then you will at least get to use the voucher for cash machines... And you may be the only one using it all day. The other people that posted about this place have hit the nail on the head.... It’s not even fun. The only way to win here is for you to send me your money, ill keep half and send the rest back to you. This place is an absolute money pit!!!!!!!!!!!

Recently went to Rivers Casino and utilized their complimentary beverage area in the back near the High Limits Area. Filthy!! No reason for that because it was 2AM and the Casino was pretty empty. An employee walking by stopped to clean the area (gathered the trash but left the empty creamers and spilled cream on the counter) and remarked "we shouldn't have to clean this sh**, people coming to this place are grown a** people and we have to clean up after them." Looked at his name tag to obtain his name (only had a first name) and overheard him threatening other employees with "I am going to write you up", "If you don't do blah, blah blah, you will be written up" after I just seen the young gentleman cleaning his heart out and taking pride in what he was doing on his way to the beverage area. The areas behind him and his cart were spotless. I am assuming the gentleman that stopped to gather the trash is some sort of supervisor but to do this in front of patrons is ridiculous. That to me was so disrespectful to both myself as a patron and to the employees in the beige shirts. We didn't make the mess, just so happened to be at the complimentary beverage area at that time. I was embarrassed for the both of us. I went to Rivers for entertainment but will definitely find my way a little further south where you don't find this kind of disrespect. Have not been back since and don't have any intentions on going back! Wrote a letter to the General Manager regarding this issue and never received a response. I suppose Rivers needs to teach its management staff a few things before you will ever find a pleasant environment for entertainment! Rivers could be a beautiful Casino, variety of slots and table games (did not see any $5 tables), but with when you experience management treating employees this way, it leaves a very bitter taste in one's mouth! For a moment I forgot where I was, I thought I went to Wheeling Downs to the dog races with the employees being the dogs! Shame on you Rivers for permitting this to go on.

It is a hell of a nice casino. The Rivers would be ranked in the top 10 to 20 in Vegas based by looks and cleanliness. Its brand new, but the Rivers is not run like Vegas casinos or even Wheeling Island. In Vegas and Wheeling Island, you receive money back, comps, and drinks (free in Vegas). At the Rivers you do not receive any form of a comp. If you do decide to drink there you will find yourself paying $4 to $5 a beer and it takes forever to get it. If you want to play table games betting range between $5 - $15 you have to get there early in the day like 6AM. You will be waiting hours to find a seat on a Friday or Saturday afternoon/night to play. Also with an earlier post, you got to find a table that has higher stakes such as $25, $50, or $100. The players will splits 10's K's Q's and J's, stay on 13, 14, 15, when the dealer has a higher card, and also I've seen people double down on 12's and 13's and also people hitting when the dealer has a bust card.

reviewer Lisa is absolutely correct this place is SH** . Nothing to enjoy just take your dam money . Only person that wins is the punk a** casino..All it is a cash cow for the city!!!!!

This place is a disgrace, people need to boycott this place until they payout better. Three managers in one year, should say it all. They are rude, machines are tight, promotions are bulls**t They always have some kind of GLITCH in their system. I believe their promotions are fixed, they only let triple diamond cardholders win. Save your money, you cannot win at the rivers casino.

I'm familiar with the older, dirtier casinos of Louisiana, so I enjoyed the newer, clean casino. The slots are tighter, but I was able to double my money in an hour and a half. A waitress asked if I wanted a drink, I ordered a ML bottled beer and she asked for $3.50, I gave her a $5 bill, she gave me a $1 back.....Why didn't she just tell me it was $4? I haven't ever PAID for a drink in a casino before, but I always tip well ($2 or $3), so I was not going to add anything more than she took. I really got upset when she returned with a glass of draft beer over 30 minutes later.

Oct 8 2010. Wow! This was my 3rd time there and hit on the .25 cent power keno machine. Hit for $679.00 and was only playing it for 15 min with $20.. I also hit on 4 other slots big pay outs 150.00 275.00 400.00. I had a great time went there with 300.00 and came home with $1400.00....the other two times i was there i also hit for 350.00 and 200.00 not bad at all.. And for the other complainers don’t go to a casino unless you’re willing to lose, cause all the other casinos are all the same...you win some and lose some..in my case I won thank god (lol)...but yes there are some slots in the Rivers Casino that are hard to hit on.. Remember, all slots are programmed by rng and they only hit when its at the right number in the program and that goes for all slots in all casinos...the Rivers Casino overall is a nice place to gamble and has very nice views to look at from the back area. Excellent buffet a little pricey though.. Sexy bar maids and servers. Security is good in the garage areas. Free parking and a great players club. I just received in the mail today on oct 14 2010 a voucher for two 50.00 free play and a free buffet for me and a guest, which I thought was nice..but my favorite all time casino is Wheeling Island in West Virgina. Man they pay out very good. I’m almost never losing there. It’s worth the trip.

If you really like slots then don't go there. Just drive by the front door and throw your money out to the doorman. Extremely tight machines.

The Rivers Casino has the lowest slot payback percentage in the USA. They return slightly less than 90% according to the PA Gaming Commission site. Compare this to the highest payback percentage in the USA which is and has been for the last five years of 95.1% at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Pennsylvania slot players are getting a raw deal and completely ripped of by this generic type casino. The Rivers doesn't simply have one armed bandits, they have one armed asassins! If you go to the Rivers to play slots you will lose! Save your money for plane fare and go to a real casino.

The slot machines are mostly weird video types of which I have never seen before and the slot floor layout is like a maze with no rhyme or reason to it.

Customer service is non-existent, the attitude of the employees is terrible. No hospitality training at all?
The cashback, free play rewards program is the lowest I have ever seen. Food comps are not offered at all?
The place is always dirty, from the entrance ways to the elevators and around the slot machines. The place also wreaks of the putrid smell of cigarette smoke.

This is a ghetto casino built in the hood as part of an urban renewal program, at night it is filled with gangbangers, pimps and scantly clad ladies of the night. Hip hop rap blares out of the loudspeakers most of the time. Bars are filled with the drunken 20-30 something crowd, fights are a common sight and thefts occur regularly.

The only good part of this place is the buffet but at $26 it is overpriced. The Rivers Casino is definitely a place to be avoided at all cost!

All the bad reviews you read here are true and actually understate just how bad the Rivers Casino is!

Guess what you get when you spend your birthday at Rivers casino??? Nothing!!! I got a birthday card from Fallsview in Canada with a free buffet voucher and have recieved the same from Erie in the past. I visited Rivers casino today with my family thinking I’d at least get a t-shirt, free drink, or something, but all I got was a happy birthday greeting from the players club. I didn’t even mind losing because I knew going down there that this place is a money pit. There are nicer places to spend your birthday and places that appreciate your business. Visit them instead.

Very poorly run. Very poor comp system. Not enough supervisors to table games ratio which leaves pits empty. People will be standing around for hours waiting to get on a table. If you happen to get on a Blackjack $10 or $15 table be warned because you will see people splitting pairs of 10's, Jacks, Queens, Kings. You will see people standing on 13,14,15 when dealers face card is a 10. You will lose playing with people like that. You're better off saving your money for a little bit and playing in the high roller area one on one with the dealer for $100 a hand. Maybe down the road it will get better but for now it's bad.

note: table games 1 because I did not use. I liked this casino. I found it very clean, neat and a lot of fun. The buffet was worth every penny paid and we will go back soon I am sure.

My only complaint is they do not have enough Vibrant 7 machines. Since there was a line waiting to play them, it should be obvious that more are needed.

I do not understand the review below because I am very critical and rate casinos all across the country and this is one of the cleanest I have every seen. Slots are a little tight but I have definitely seen tighter. Suggest you visit, the view and food is worth it.