Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia Review
Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia is a $600 million casino, hotel, and entertainment complex slated to open in South Philadelphia’s Stadium District in early 2021.
Originally dubbed Stadium Casino, Live! will be the second location in the city of Philadelphia, joining Rivers Philadelphia. It promises state-of-the-art games, a poker room, a retail FanDuel Sportsbook, five-star hotel accommodations, and great dining and entertainment options.
Owned and operated by Maryland-based Cordish Companies, Live! now also has a presence in online gambling in PA. The company launched PlayLive! Online Casino ahead of retail openings of their mini-casino Live! Pittsburgh and Philly Live!, but Live! Casino and Hotel in Philadelphia is among the more popular Pennsylvania retail casinos.
Live! Philadelphia Casino & Hotel
- Address: 900 Packer Ave., Philadelphia
- Owner/Operator: Cordish Companies
- Hours: 24/7
- Casino Games: Nearly 2,000 slot machines, 135 table games (blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, big six wheel, three card poker, ultimate Texas hold ’em, Mississippi Stud)
- Sportsbook: FanDuel
- Poker: 32-table room (tournaments and cash games; NLH, Omaha, PLO)
Live! Casino Philadelphia online gambling overview
Live! Casino has had a unique approach to the Pennsylvania market. It was the first gaming company in Pennsylvania to debut PA online gambling products ahead of retail.
The Philadelphia-area location was one of the eight licensees to apply for the triple pack of PA online casino licenses from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). Even though the property had not yet opened for business, management paid $10 million for permits to offer online games.
The PlayLive! Online officially went live Aug. 14, 2020, becoming PA’s 11th iGaming option. The safe and secure gaming site is available as an app on both iOS and Android, as well as via desktop.
Live! also partners with FanDuel Sportsbook, which powers its retail sportsbooks. Cordish patrons can also sign up for the FanDuel online sportsbook through Live! to access the same popular app Valley Forge Casino utilizes for online sports betting. While it does have an online option, we recommend online casino bonuses from alternative regulated sites.
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Live! Philadelphia as a gaming, resort, entertainment, and sports destination
Live! Philadelphia is in proximity to:
- Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles
- Xfinity Mobile Arena, home of the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers
- Citizens Bank Park, home to the Philadelphia Phillies
The world-class hotel-casino complex aims to complement these existing stadium district venues.
In Philadelphia, it joins Rivers Philadelphia, formerly called SugarHouse Casino, which opened up along the Delaware River in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood in 2010.
Live! Philadelphia promises to be the first comprehensive gaming, resort, entertainment, and sports destination in the United States. It is intended as a Las Vegas-style resort casino with top-notch amenities that could quickly change the face of the gambling industry in the state by merging entertainment, sports, and gambling in a way Pennsylvania has never seen before.
Live! Philadelphia features:
- A 100,000 square-foot gambling floor
- Nearly 2,000 slot machines and electronic table games
- 135 table games
- A 32-table poker room
- Retail FanDuel Sportsbook
- 200+ room hotel
- Restaurants
- Entertainment spaces
- 2,700-space parking garage
- Valet service
- The hotel also includes a fitness center
Additional amenities planned for the property include locally and nationally recognized restaurants, multiple nightclubs, and a 15,500-square-foot music and entertainment venue with a rooftop party deck.
The facility has drawn 13 million visitors since opening, in addition to the 8 million people who already visit the Stadium District to patronize the other facilities every year.
Live! Casino Amenities
As a Category 2 casino license holder in the state, Stadium Casino LLC is permitted to operate major resort amenities, including restaurants, spas, and entertainment venues.
Dining
Live! Philadelphia is home to several nationally-recognized dining options, including a celebrity chef concept as well as local food staples.
The Prime Rib
Named “Best South Philly Steakhouse” by Philadelphia Magazine, this top Zagat-rated steakhouse offers a tantalizing array of prime steaks, cooked to perfection, the freshest seafood and a selection of signature salads, sides and desserts.
Sports & Social Philly
A one-of-a-kind sports restaurant, gaming venue and social lounge that offers guests the ultimate sports fan experience at the only place in the country located in the center of big-league action from four major professional sports teams.
Luk Fu
Named Best Sushi in Pennsylvania by Casino Player Magazine, where the authentic flavors of Southeast Asia meet in South Philadelphia through a specialty menu curated by celebrity chef Jet Tila
10th St Market
A unique food hall inspired by the great food markets in Philadelphia where guests can enjoy a wide variety of food, as well as a bar. The Market serves as a hub for quick eats and late-night bites and features local Philly favorites, such as:
- Lorenzo and Sons Pizza: a South Philadelphia staple since 1970 and one of the 101 best pizzas in America as rated by The Daily Meal;
- Geno’s Steaks: a Philadelphia institution, its world-famous menu features five types of sizzling steak sandwiches, along with Italian hoagies and fries;
- Termini Brothers Bakery: a beloved South Philadelphia bakery with a century-plus history serving their family recipes for cannoli, cookies and cakes.
- South Philly Barbacoa: an exclusive pop-up offering chef Cristina Martinez’s signature tacos and barbacoa, open through Summer 2026.
Other Market options:
- Luckie’s Liquor: a bar featuring a selection of beer, wine and specialty drinks.
Entertainment and nightlife
There is a spirited nightlife on the property, including Center Bar, R Bar, and Library Bar. Plus, the Live! Event Center includes:
- 15,500-square-foot entertainment venue
- 6,500-square-foot private event space
- A 1,000-person music venue.
Hotel
The Live! Philadelphia property boasts five-star accommodations in a hotel that includes more than 200 luxurious rooms, more than 30 suites, a grand event center, and first-class dining options.
Live! Casino Overview
Live! Casino promises the newest state-of-the-art slots, electronic, and table games. Plus a brand new poker room.
Who can play?
The minimum age to gamble at Live! Philadelphia is 21, the same as it is at all of the licensed properties in the state of Pennsylvania.
Security and Fairness?
Just like every other location in Pennsylvania, Live! is licensed and regulated by PGCB. The board continually monitors all aspects of operations in the state to ensure and maintain the utmost standards of security and fairness.
Cordish Companies also has a stellar reputation in the US gaming industry, ensuring a high level of integrity. The company’s portfolio of gaming facilities also includes licensed locations in Maryland, Louisiana, Virginia, and Florida.
Live! Casino games
As a Category 2 casino license holder in the state, Live! is permitted to operate up to 250 table games and 5,000 slot machines.
Live! Rewards player’s club
Players at Philadelphia Live! can participate in the award-winning Live! Rewards’ Players Club. The rewards club is connected to Live! Casino Pittsburgh, Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia (which is currently in development), and all of Cordish’s other US properties. Players can also earn rewards credits online at PlayLive! online casino in PA.
The Live! Rewards Players Club is free to all players 21 and over.
Members of the club earn Retail Points for shopping on the property as well as Rewards Points for gambling. They also earn Tier Points that can result in increased earning power for the player.
Players earn 1 Tier Point and 1 Reward Point for every $1 bet on slots, $2 on video poker, and $6 on electronic table games. The number of Tier Points and Reward Points earned on traditional table games varies based on game type, length of play, and average bet.
Poker players earn 100 Tier Points and 100 Reward Points for every hour playing poker.
Purchases at Live! Casinos or Shop Live! earn retail points at a rate of one for every $1 spent.
Players can redeem 600 Reward Points for $1 in comps on the property.
Live! had a complicated entry path into PA gaming
Stadium Casino LLC began as a joint development venture between Parx Casino and Racing‘s Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment and Cordish Companies, which owns and operates the Live!-branded casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues across the country.
Stadium Casino LLC won a statewide bid for a license for the project in November 2014. It applied after the original Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia project failed to obtain financing and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) revoked its license.
However, SugarHouse Casino and three other applicants fought the decision to grant Stadium Casino LLC the license on the grounds that Greenwood Gaming owner Bob Manoukian’s ownership interest in Parx prohibited him from owning more than one-third of another company in Pennsylvania in accordance with state law.
The project spent the next three years held up in court. However, in October 2017, the state repealed the casino ownership laws as part of its new gambling expansion laws. Opponents immediately dropped the lawsuits, and the Stadium Casino project got the green light again.
Stadium Casino LLC then received permits from Philadelphia’s Department of Licensing & Inspections in January 2018 to demolish the Holiday Inn at 900 Packer Ave. to make way for the new facility.
Stadium was also one of the successful bidders for a Category 4 casino – a so-called satellite or mini-casino. The management company paid just over $40 million to build one of these facilities in Westmoreland County, just east of Pittsburgh.
In November 2018, Cordish bought out Parx, announcing they would be moving forward with both mini-casino and Philadelphia plans alone.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh, constructed in a rehabbed space in Westmoreland Mall, made its grand opening on Nov. 24, 2020, after several delays related to coronavirus restrictions.
Summary
Live! Philadelphia is a world-class hotel, casino, and entertainment complex. It promises a plethora of gambling, dining, entertainment, and accommodation options in the heart of the Stadium District.
As a major eastern US gaming, resort, and entertainment destination, Live! attracts visitors not just from Pennsylvania, but also from nearby New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere. The property attract gamblers who might otherwise go to nearby Atlantic City. Plus, people who visit Philadelphia’s Stadium District for entertainment have an additional option.
