A pair of Pennsylvania casinos earned numerous honors at this year’s Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazine’s Best of Gaming Awards.
Mt. Airy Casino in the Poconos won 26 awards overall, including eight first-place finishes, and Rivers Casino Philadelphia took home 21 overall awards, with seven first-place honors.
Casino Player Magazine, a respected outlet in the gaming industry, selects nationwide winners for the Best of Gaming Awards based on feedback from casino visitors and players. The annual awards recognize a wide variety of gaming and hospitality elements including service, accommodations, activities and other amenities.
Mt. Airy Casino collects several Best of Gaming Awards in 2023
The Mt. Airy Casino is Pennsylvania’s first AAA Four-Diamond Casino Resort and has maintained that honor for over a decade.
At the Best of Gaming Awards, Mt. Airy’s complete list of honors included eight first-place selections, 13 second-place wins and five third-place mentions.
It received first-place awards in the following categories:
- Best Hotel Lobby
- Best Pool
- Best Spa
- Best Golf Course
- Favorite Casino Resort to Vacation at
- Best Hosts
- Best Craps
- Friendliest Sportsbook
Mt. Airy also earned second or third-place recognition in:
- Best Overall Gaming Resort
- Best Hotel
- Best Hotel Staff
- Best Rooms
- Best Suites
- Best Table Games
- Best Blackjack
- Best Roulette
- Best Overall Sportsbook
- Best Players Club
- Best VIP Lounge
- Best Reel Slots
- Best Video Poker
Mt. Airy, which is located in Mt. Pocono, features a vast casino and gaming floor with about 1,700 slots and 80 table games, a sportsbook, a poker room, 300 guest rooms and a number of dining venues (including Guy Fieri’s Mt. Pocono Kitchen and the award-winning Bistecca by Il Mulino).
Additional features include a convention center and ballroom, a lakefront golf course, a full-service spa, salon and exercise facility, and newly-renovated indoor and outdoor pools.
“A shared commitment to excellence allows us to earn prestigious awards such as these from Casino Player Magazine,” Lisa DeNaples, Mount Airy Owner and Managing Trustee, said in a press release. “We’re delighted to be recognized for delivering exceptional experiences and exceeding guest expectations.”
BetRivers named ‘Best Overall Sportsbook’ for third consecutive time
Rivers Casino Philadelphia also fared well at the Best of Gaming Awards. Its BetRivers Sportsbook PA was named Pennsylvania’s “Best Overall Sportsbook” for the third straight year and also won “Best Sportsbook Promotions” for the second straight year.
The casino was also recognized for its gaming, earning its second consecutive first-place award for “Best Poker Tournaments” and “Best Table Games.”
Other first-place categories for Rivers Philadelphia include:
- Best Blackjack
- Best VIP Lounge
- Best Non-Smoking Casino/Area
Rivers Casino Philadelphia is located on the Delaware River waterfront and features a gaming space with nearly 2,000 slot machines, more than 100 table games, a poker room and the award-winning BetRivers Sportsbook. Dining options include Martorano’s Prime, Jack’s Bar + Grill, Mian, Geno’s Steaks and more. There is also an Event Center with 10,308 square feet of space for meetings, corporate events, weddings and other functions.
“Having the best Pennsylvania sportsbook for the third year in a row is a credit to our entire hard-working BetRivers Sportsbook team,” Eric Althaus, general manager of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, said in a press release. “Thanks to our guests and Casino Player readers for voting us No. 1 in seven categories.”
Rivers Philadelphia takes third in July’s PA online casino revenue totals
Rivers Philadelphia and its online licenses (BetRivers Casino, SugarHouse and Borgata) also performed well in the state’s latest revenue totals from July, which were just released last week.
Hollywood Penn National has held a stranglehold on first place ($62,697,324 in total online casino revenue in July), but Rivers Philadelphia finished third among all 10 online PA entities with $32,515,831 in July.
The Valley Forge Casino Resort (which is partnered with FanDuel), finished slightly ahead of Rivers Philadelphia with $34,890,032.
Mt. Airy leads Pennsylvania online poker revenue
Mt. Airy finished far behind the other brands in fifth place (with $5,425,753 in total online casino revenue in July), but its license with PokerStars PA helped push it to the top of the online poker totals.
In terms of online poker revenue in July, Mt. Airy finished first with $1,584,581. The next closest competitor was Harrah’s Philadelphia with $590,900.
Pennsylvania casinos remain national leader in online gaming
Overall, the state of Pennsylvania failed to eclipse $160 million in total monthly revenue for the first time since November 2022. However, Pennsylvania’s total of $157.1 million in July was ahead of New Jersey’s ($155.2 million), making it an entire year now since it last fell behind its eastern neighbor in monthly online gaming revenue.
In addition, even with the dip in July earnings, Pennsylvania still recorded a 27% jump in year-over-year growth.
The numbers don’t lie. Pennsylvania is likely the best online casino environment in the entire country. And its retail casinos have plenty to offer, too.
