Three Rivers Expanding

Big changes are ahead for the Three Rivers Casino in Florence Oregon. The cozy casino currently has 400 slots, six tables, a cafe, snack bar and sports bar. The newer and bigger casino complex -- expected to open at year's end -- will include a gaming floor that is quadrupled in size, 5 dining venues, a special events center and a 93-room/suite hotel. More than 250 new employees will join the staff.

The new casino will have 650 gaming machines plus live poker and blackjack, craps and roulette. The dining options will include a big buffet and fine dining in the steakhouse.

Presently, Three Rivers welcomes RVs to dry camp in their parking lot and it is expected the casino will continue to be RV-friendly. Three Rivers is located on US Hwy-126 just east of Florence, OR, near the 101.

Pittsburgh's First Casino Is Popular

The Greater Pittsburgh PA area's first casino has proven to be hugely popular. Opening day was June 11th and the casino has been busy every day since. The 82,000 square-foot gaming floor might be referred to as "temporary," but it is impressive with more than 1700 gaming machines in all denominations, including lots of the newest and most popular penny machines. There's also a good variety of video poker plus electronic blackjack machines. The all-you-can-eat all American cuisine restaurant is also popular, and there is a snack bar and a sports bar at the casino.

The new casino is located just 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, less than a mile east of I-79 at exit 41...take Racetrack Road east, then turn left into the casino entrance.

Meadows is an RV-Friendly casino, offering free parking for RVs in the lower lot. Signs directing RVs to the parking lot for oversized vehicles have not yet been installed, so RVs should watch for the first large parking area on the left as you enter the casino property (before going up the hill.) Shuttle service is available on request. Call for the shuttle at 724-225-9300.

The five-day-a-week harness racing program has been suspended during the initial phase of construction. The trotters have been relocated to protect them from exposure to the dust. But the casino remains open 24/7 while the new facility is being built.

Presque Isle Downs & Casino

Live thorughbred racing returned to Presque Isle Downs in Erie, PA this month. The inaugural race took place September 1st on a new and unique one-mile oval track. Presque Isle is the first Pennsylvania track to use a synthetic racing surface known as Tapeta. Developed by Trainer Michael Dickinson, Tapeta consists of sand with the addition of rubber and fibers coated with wax. Dickinson says the new synthetic surface will reduce injuries to horses and jockeys and is impervious to weather. Tapeta has held up well in desert conditions at 120 degrees and in the cold at minus 3 degrees. Tapeta (Latin for carpet) has a fluffy look and it appears the horses are more comfortable with the surface. Racing aficionados believe synthetic surfaces will revolutionize horse racing. Many of California's tracks have already been surfaced with synthetic materials. This year's abbreviated racing season at Presque Downs is scheduled for just 25 days this month. Racing will resume next May and will run for 5 months through September.

The casino at Presque Isle is one of the five new "slots parlors" to open this year at race tracks in Pennsylvania. Presque Isle Casino has 2,000 gaming machines and three restaurants. But the casino does not have the wide variety and mix of slot and video poker machines generally found at casinos of a similar size.

Presque Isle Casino is open every day, 9am to 4am Sunday through Thursday and 9am to 6am Friday and Saturday. RVs are welcome to dry camp in the lower parking lot, but overnight stays are limited to one night. Shuttle service is available continuously.

It's Big...It's Beautiful

Michigan's Pokegon Band opened the state's first new casino last month. The $400 million Four Winds resort, on 54 acres in the southwestern corner of Michigan, is a rambling, rustic yet glitzy resort in the heart of the Midwest. It raises the bar for Midwestern casinos.

RV Park to be addded
Four Winds is located on the east side of Interstate 94 at exit 1 near the Indiana state line. Currently a parking lot is designated for oversize vehicles and free overnight parking is permitted. However, an RV Park is expected to be added to the resort in the near future.

The big Vegas-style casino features 3,000 gaming machines and 104 tables. It boasts the world's largest automated poker room running exclusively on Pokertek poker tables -- 19 tables in the poker room. There is a 165-room/suite hotel on site.

The upscale shopping mall adjacent to the casino is impressive. Food venues include the buffet, a steakhouse, cafe and Starbucks. The buffet is excellent and is topped off by outstanding homemade Italian ice cream for patrons with a sweet tooth.

If you're in the area it's worth a stop.

Casino Quiz Answers

QUESTIONS 1-5:
1) How many people visited U.S. casinos last year?
2) Who frequents casinos more, men or women?
3) What was the average age of visitors to Las Vegas last year?
4) What state has the most casinos?
5) How many Indian casinos are open in the U.S?

ANSWERS:
1) 56.2 million
2) Men account for a slightly higher percentage of casino goers.
3) 48
4) Nevada
5) 372 Indian casinos in 28 states.

QUESTIONS 5-10:
6) Which state has the most Indian casinos?
7) When was gambling legalized in Atlantic City, NJ?
8) When was gambling legalized in Nevada?
9) In what year was the first World Series of Poker held?
10) Which state is known as the Casino Capitol of the South?

ANSWERS:
6) Oklahoma with 79 Indian casinos
7) 1976
8) 1931
9) 1970
10) Mississippi

New Casino Queen Is Open

The new Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Illinois held its long-awaited grand opening on August 2nd. It is the first gaming facility in Illinois that's not actually on a river. It is situated 686 feet from the Mississippi River and is a barge sitting in about 10 feet of water, a casino style known as a "boat in a moat."
The new casino is spacious and less cramped than the old red and white riverboat. Also, the air quality and ventilation is definitely better. The casino has 1,100 gaming machines, 34 live action gaming tables, a new buffet restaurant, steakhouse, cafe and a coffee bar.

CONVENIENT HOME BASE FOR
TOURING ST. LOUIS RIVERFRONT

The 132-space RV Park remains a popular stopping-off place for traveling RVers. It's a convenient base for touring the attractions at the waterfront area of St. Louis, Missouri just across the river. Shuttle service is provided to the casino and also to the Metrolink station nearby.

It is convenient to hop onto the Metro (senior fare is $1) to the first stop on the other side of the river where it's a short walk to the famed Gateway Arch and other activities and attractions in the St. Louis riverfront area. The National Park Service maintains the Arch and the Museum of Westward Expansion. The journey to the top is spectacular and the museum is outstanding. The award-winning documentary, "Monument to the Dream," is also very interesting. The historic old courthouse, where Dred Scott asked for his freedom, is located across the park from the Arch. An informative movie and fascinating exhibits are featured there. Numerous dining and shopping opportunities can be found in the riverfront area, and the President riverboat casino is located a few blocks north of the Arch.