Casino builders tout river views, huge revenues

PITTSBURGH — The Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh could be mistaken for a shopping center or business headquarters if its massive parking garage didn’t have electronic signs flashing casino amenities and giveaways.

The 242,000-square-foot casino fronts the Ohio River, but river views from the city streets are blocked by its adjacent six-story parking garage on Casino Drive. Inside, the two-story casino features expansive views of the river from massive windows, as well as a 24-mile bike trail and outdoor amphitheater.

“The garage blocks the view coming downtown from the river,” said city Councilman Daniel Lavelle, whose district covers the casino. “But from inside the casino you get wonderful views of the river.”

This casino doesn’t have the sky-high flash of a Las Vegas casino. Instead, its signage and modern metal structure are intended to blend in with the nearby Carnegie Science Center and tall office buildings in the city’s North Shore area. The casino is about five minutes from I-279, with drivers guided to the site by a series of blue directional signs, each about the size of a stop sign.

Traffic is not burdensome, Lavelle said. “The casino is near highways, so there is easy in and easy out,” he said.

Rivers Casino operator Rush Street Gaming of Chicago is gearing up to build another Rivers Casino in Schenectady along the Mohawk River. The casino will be smaller than Pittsburgh’s, about 150,000 square feet, and will have an attached five-story parking garage.