After a four month coronavirus-caused shutdown, Rivers Casino Philadelphia was the last casino to reopen in Pennsylvania. Rivers Casino Philadelphia has been open since mid-July and just last week celebrated their tenth anniversary.
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For a decade, Rivers Casino (formerly SugarHouse) was the first and only casino in the city of Philadelphia. That distinction will soon end in early 2021 when Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia opens on Packer Avenue right near the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia.
However, Rivers Casino Philadelphia has spent the past ten years establishing itself in the Greater Philadelphia area and will see guests continue to roll into the casino by the Delaware River.
With so much changing so fast these days, here are the latest news and updates from Rivers Casino Philadelphia and what you can expect during your next visit.
Drinks are also free in New York state, where the governing statute reads, “(c) Pursuant to paragraph eight of Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 1340, a gaming facility licensee holding a casino alcoholic beverage license may provide complimentary alcoholic beverages to a patron under the following conditions. At Rivers, the Rush Rewards Card bounty included buffets, $50 gift cards, hundreds of bucks worth of slot play, entry into a slot tournament, a waffle maker, a food processor and a griddler.
Updated hours at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
Rivers Casino Philadelphia has expanded its hours and is now open 24/7.
Sportsbook at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
The BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino hours:
Sun: 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Mon – Thurs: 11 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Fri: 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia opened the $5 million state-of-art BetRivers sportsbook in Oct. 2019. In preparation for this NFL season, they added eight self-service betting kiosks to the sportsbook and other locations throughout the casino floor. The additions up the total to 33 betting kiosks. In-person ticket windows are also open during select times.
Jim Llewellyn, sportsbook manager at Rivers Casino Philadelphia, commented:
“We’re excited to provide guests with a variety of betting options as professional sports are in full swing. BetRivers Sportsbook is the place for guests to wager on NFL games this fall, and is just steps away from their favorite slots and games.”
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Smoking, food and drink at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
Per the City of Philadelphia, food and beverages are not currently allowed on the gaming floor. Also, smoking is not permitted on the gaming floor, however designated outdoor areas are set up.
PA Governor Tom Wolf and Sec. of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed new orders for increased coronavirus mitigation efforts on July 16. For casinos, it means a temporary pause on drink service, sitting at the bar, and lower capacity limits at restaurants.
Restaurants at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
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Rivers Casino Philadelphia recently reopened Jack’s Bar + Grill and Mian where alcohol may be purchased with a meal. There will be no alcohol service on the casino floor.
Mian
- 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. daily
- Authentic Asian cuisine
Jack’s Bar + Grill
- 2 p.m. – 10 p.m daily
- Classic American fare
The poker room at Rivers Philadelphia
The Rivers Philadelphia Poker Room, and currently every poker room in Pennsylvania, are closed. When PA casinos reopened, poker rooms were not permitted to operate due to players handling cards and chips. The plan at that time was to continually monitor and adjust according to guidance from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
PGCB Director of Communications Doug Harbach gave this update to PlayPennsylvania in late August about poker rooms in Pennsylvania:
“There has been no alteration to the casino reopening protocols released by the Gaming Control Board in May in which poker rooms were not authorized to operate. At the same time, this guideline can be reexamined based on health experts’ guidance. Should casinos wish to explore reopening a casino room, it would need to provide plans to do so safely which would be reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.”
PlayPennsylvania reached out to a Rivers Casino spokesperson on Sept. 29 who said dates for reopening poker rooms at Rivers Casinos in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are yet to be determined.
Health and Safety at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
Rivers Casino Philadelphia and all casinos in Pennsylvania are required to follow the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s “COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols”.
When visiting any PA casino, here are some of the new safety guidelines:
- Casinos can reopen at 50% capacity. However, the City of Philadelphia mandates the gaming floor at Rivers Casino Philadelphia operate at 25% capacity.
- Employees and guests must wear masks.
- Markings on the floor to promote social distancing.
- Enhanced cleaning throughout the facility.
Rivers Casino in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh started a new initiative, “Rivers Clean.” It represents a rigorous property-wide cleaning and disinfectant program to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
They also upgraded their HVAC system to include airPHX, a technology that continuously disinfects indoor air and eliminates coronavirus on surfaces. In addition, the casino also features AtmosAir, an indoor air quality purification system that is proven to neutralize coronavirus by more than 99.9%.
September promotions at Rivers Casino Philadelphia
There are a number of promotions running at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh all month long. Here’s a look at what to expect.
New Member Super Spin: New Members that sign up for a Rush Rewards card can spin to win up to 100,000 Rewards Points.
Coins for Cash: For every $50 of clean unwrapped coins, receive $5 in freeplay.
Rivers Philadelphia 2019/2020 fiscal year numbers
Rivers Casino Philadelphia 2019/2020 fiscal year totals include:
- Slot revenue: $123.5 million (tax revenue $61.2 million)
- Slot win per day: $216
- Table game revenue: $94.4 million (tax revenue $15.1 million)
- Total sports betting revenue: $17.8 million (tax revenue $6.4 million)
- Retail sportsbook revenue: $5.7 million
- Online sportsbook revenue: $12.1 million
- iGaming revenue: $73 million (tax revenue $33.7 million)
A good August for Rivers Philadelphia
Of all twelve casinos in PA, Rivers Casino Philadelphia ranked second behind Parx in terms of total gaming revenue in August. In August 2020, Rivers Casino Philadelphia posted $39.5 million in total gaming revenue which represented about a 40%increase from last August’s total of $28.3 million.
Table games and slot revenue was down compared to last August but Rivers Philadelphia led for iGaming revenue ($17 million) and saw a 77% YoY increase for sports betting revenue ($2.1 million).
Rivers Philadelphia celebrates ten years
Then called SugarHouse, it was one of the first casinos to open in a major metropolitan area outside of Las Vegas or Atlantic City. As a result,”Philadelphia’s first casino” arrived with plenty of hoopla and expectations that come with a $550 million price tag and 1,000 new jobs.
Six years later, the casino’s success led to a $164 million expansion that included a 28-table poker room, additional restaurants, The Event Center, and a free parking garage.
It marked another first for gaming in the City of Philadelphia when it opened the first licensed sportsbook, operated by Rush Street Interactive (RSI) in 2018. According to Rivers, more than 60% of its workforce is from Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
Approximately 43% of Rivers’ total workforce are women, many in executive and management positions. Additionally, 60% are African American, Hispanic or Asian. And an impressive 176 Team Members have been with the casino since Day One.
Since opening in September 2010, Rivers Casino has generated more than $1.2 billion in total tax revenue for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Free dealer training
Rivers Casino Philadelphia is offering a free dealer training program with weekday and weekend classes. People who complete the six-week training will receive a job offer.
Weekend class sessions begin:
Friday, October 23 – 5 week duration
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
*Deadline for this class is Friday, October 16.
Weekday (Monday – Thursday) class sessions begin:
Monday, October 12 – 6 week duration
Choose 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. or 9 p.m.
*Deadline for this class is Sunday, October 4.
When Rivers Casino Philadelphia reopened its doors in July after months of coronavirus-related shutdowns, its returning employees had to make some adjustments.
For one, the salaried workers took 15% pay cuts. And everyone was given medical instructions that some industry experts deemed unusual: Employees who think they might have COVID-19 must immediately alert the casino’s human resources department.
© JOSE F. MORENO/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS Some employees at Rivers Casino Philadelphia told The Inquirer that they are frustrated by certain policies instituted by management since the business reopened in July, including explicitly forbidding them from telling their supervisors if they think they have symptoms of COVID-19.But as for telling their immediate supervisors, workers were only supposed to disclose that they wouldn’t be coming in.
“Do NOT share ANY FURTHER details about the reason for your absence,” the Daily COVID-19 Self Assessment instructions read.
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“We’ve had a lot of no shows, and it raises suspicions of why hasn’t management come out and said anything,” one employee told The Inquirer.
Coronavirus Coverage
Employees who have returned to the Fishtown casino since July 17 say that mandated secrecy is emblematic of the way management has run Rivers this summer. A group of current and recently resigned workers spoke to The Inquirer about their fears of getting infected when they have been forced to rely on rumors and whispers for their personal safety and that of their families.
They say that the casino’s mandates about how to properly clean surfaces are inconsistent, and often ignored. So is the requirement that customers must wear masks, with some dealers and supervisors not requiring gamblers to keep their face coverings on.
Those issues have frustrated these longtime employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearful of losing their jobs or facing reprisal.
Rivers Casino salaried staff facing a coronavirus pay cut“You got players walking around with masks on their necks, on their chin,” said one table games dealer. “The supervisors are afraid of the players. They haven’t been trained properly, and they’re afraid to say something.”
In recent weeks, as more and more dealers and other staff started to ask for days off amid this uncertainty, Rivers has been employing new strategies. Management issued a survey in late August, asking employees why so many of them were “calling out” and what would motivate them to keep coming to work. This week, Rivers announced a free, new “dealer school” to recruit new workers, and a sign-on bonus for experienced dealers joining the casino on a bank of the Delaware River that brought in $315 million in revenue last year.
“I don’t blame any of the management or my coworkers for why things were so bad — my coworkers and managers were some of the best people I worked for,” said another dealer. 'I blame the company. I blame the executives. I blame the city officials that allowed this to be open.
“I know people want to return to normalcy, but at what cost?” the dealer added.
Representatives from Rivers, operated by Rush Street Gaming, declined to be interviewed for this story. They instead issued a statement disputing the employees’ complaints, saying the number of call-outs has been decreasing. The company, which operates similarly named casinos in upstate New York, Iowa and Pittsburgh, said that it has hired additional cleaners to disinfect the facility and installed new air filters to help combat the virus.
“If any cases have potential for impact on Team Members or guests, they are notified accordingly,” Rivers management said in a statement. “Team Members with specific concerns are encouraged to speak with their Team Leaders. Our goal is to provide the safest possible environment and evolve as new information becomes available.”
The casino declined to provide specific numbers of positive COVID-19 cases among its staff. For their own privacy, employees are encouraged to talk only to their doctors or the casino’s state-appointed Pandemic Safety Officer, a casino spokesperson said.
New Jersey’s restaurants and casinos do the math on reopening indoorsEmployees at Rivers aren’t alone in not knowing if, or how badly, the virus has spread through their coworkers.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Health said that casinos licensed by the state are not required to report positive coronavirus cases among their employees. Some businesses, such as nursing homes and universities, are. Tallies of coronavirus cases are kept by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Board spokesperson Doug Harbach said that there have been 40 positive COVID-19 cases across the state’s 12 casinos since the state allowed them to reopen in June. Harbach declined to provide specific numbers for Rivers or any casino.
“The city health board inspected Rivers Philadelphia and found that the casino met and exceeded the standards for COVID safety,” Harbach said in a recent interview.
Management at Rivers echoed this, saying that the casino “follows best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and meets or exceeds all COVID-19 Casino Reopening Protocols” from the state Gaming Control Board.
Pa. casino revenues return to pre-pandemic levels, but online gambling soarsBut according to city health officials, their visit to Rivers just before reopening was less an inspection than a walk through while recommending best practices for keeping gamblers and staff safe.
James Garrow, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Public Health, said department workers suggested to casino managers how far apart to seat players and what kind of barriers to erect, among other recommendations. It was not, he said, a formal, point-by-point inspection.
“We haven’t inspected any facility to provide them with a thumbs up on opening,” Garrow said in a statement.
But returning employees complain that most of the visits, either by the city or casino executives, have been during the day, when the number of patrons has been moderate. More safety issues have cropped up during the overnight shifts, when the bulk of gamblers enter Rivers, according to one supervisor who spoke with The Inquirer.
Less than half of Philadelphians are wearing masks properly, study findsEmployees also complain of shortages of cleaning supply or PPE, with one former employee saying that he had to fill out a formal request to get a pair of disposable gloves. In the first few days after the casino reopened, supply closets were stocked with disinfectants approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to be effective in killing the coronavirus, according to the supervisor and other employees.
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Those supplies were quickly replaced, the supervisor said, with regular disinfectant wipes. When the supervisor spoke with a member of upper management about the switch, she was told it was done as a cost-saving measure.
Management disputes this characterization, saying that no supplies have ever been substituted, and that everything provided to the employees to use has been approved by the EPA. Photos of some of those supplies, shared with the Inquirer, show that none of them are included on the EPA’s approved list of disinfectants effective against COVID-19.
Other workers complained of combative night-shift guests who ignore calls to stop crowding around tables and argue with dealers about keeping their masks on.
One employee was so discouraged by this that he resigned in August.
“I had issues with certain managers reverting back to old rules, like if a player spends enough money, we don’t say anything to them. That bothered me,” he said. “And other situations where I saw managers who were just oblivious, and I wanted something done.”
Rivers is not unionized, and workers say they’ve had little opportunity to field their complaints.
Elsewhere, however, labor representatives at casinos with unions says re-openings have gone smoothly and continue to operate without issue.
C. Robert McDevitt, president of Unite Here Local 54 in Atlantic City, said the nine casinos his union works with — including Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester — have instituted “vigorous contact tracing” among employees. He said news of the edict by Rivers to limit the sharing of information about positive COVID cases was “shocking.”
“You should tell your coworkers if you work with them,' McDevitt said. 'It’s part of being a responsible adult.”
At Rivers, some workers are trapped between their need to collect a paycheck and concerns about personal safety. A few said they wish the furlough was never lifted.
“This is not something to be messed with,' said one longtime employee, who said he’s considering leaving. 'I don’t want to give this to my family. I don’t feel safe, and I know a lot of other employees don’t either.”
“There’s a lot of politics involved, for a lot of money they’re bringing in,” he added. “The fact that I can’t go to the Phillies game … but these people can come in and gamble? It’s just to make the city money.”
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