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Meadows fires volley in interstate slots rivalry
Business editor
mbradwell@observer-reporter.com
MEADOW LANDS - The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, which opened less than a year ago, fired a volley Thursday in what could become on ongoing battle with two nearby West Virginia casinos for claiming customers.
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Meadows General Manager Mike Graninger said the information was released to combat an unlevel playing field, noting that the two West Virginia casinos now offer table games, which are not permitted in Pennsylvania. He added that legislators are considering a smoking ban in Pennsylvania casinos, something The Meadows management opposes.
"We don't have a level playing field here. We don't know what the state will do" with regard to table games or smoking bans, Graninger said. "We want to keep our players here."
Using slot machine statistics from both states, The Meadows claims it has the "loosest" slot machines around, noting that it has paid out $5 million more than Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Chester, about 45 miles from Washington.
The local casino also claims the disparity is even wider - about $18 million - when it compares slots payouts with Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Resort, about 35 miles from The Meadows.
The Meadows, which has 1,816 slot machines, has the fewest of all three area casinos. Mountaineer has 3,200 machines, while Wheeling Island has 2,100.
According to Graninger, the Meadows' average "slots hold" - the amount the casino wins - stands about 8.36 percent as compared to Mountaineer's slot hold of 9.15 percent, making The Meadows machines about 9 percent "looser" than Mountaineer's. He added that when compared to machines at Wheeling Island, with a 9.65 percent hold rate, Meadows slots were more than 15 percent looser.
"Having the loosest slots means our players are staying longer and having more fun because their entertainment dollar goes farther," Graninger said. "Our casinos may be close to each other, but the payouts aren't."
Tamara Pettit, spokeswoman for Mountaineer, disputed the claim in a statement, noting that Mountaineer includes promotional play, such as free slots play promotions for members, in its payout statistics, while Pennsylvania casinos do not.
"Mountaineer Park does not back out promotional giveaway items, such as free play, from its gross revenue," Pettit wrote. "Pennsylvania backs out promotional giveaways items from its revenue. This gives the illusion that the hold percentage for slot machines is lower than the true hold percentage of the games at The Meadows.
"Mountaineer Park gave away over $2 million in promotional items to our customers and they won over $590 million from our slot machines for the first quarter of 2008."
The Wheeling casino did not return a call requesting a response to The Meadows' release.
Slots are poised to become an even greater attraction in The Meadows' permanent casino, which is scheduled to open in early 2009. Last month, the casino's management announced that it would forego building a previously announced 200-room hotel and instead construct a 1,050-space parking garage adjacent to the new casino. It also plans to use the additional space from the hotel project to add 30,000 square feet to the casino's gaming floor to accommodate as many as 4,200 slot machines.
During a September public hearing conducted locally by the House Gaming Oversight Committee, The Meadows owners lobbied for the addition of table games at the local casino. A bill supporting legalization of the games has been co-authored by state Rep. Bill DeWeese, but DeWeese has said the legislation is not on a fast track in Harrisburg.
