Sands Casino Bensalem
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When the property was owned and operated by Sands Corp., the last thing Sands Bethlehem Casino would have done is get involved with online gambling in Pennsylvania.
However, now that there are new owners and operators, namely Wind Creek Entertainment and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the property is moving forward on all types of online gambling. The casino secured online poker, table games, and slots licenses during the interactive licensing period. Additionally, the property submitted an application for a $10 million sports betting license in 2019.
So far, the property has not tipped its hand about which companies might partner with Wind Creek on these online gaming ventures.
History of Wind Creek Bethlehem
Las Vegas Sands Corp. was awarded one of the first five casino licenses granted by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) in 2006.
It soon broke ground on an ambitious casino and resort project on a piece of reclaimed land that once housed America’s second-largest steel producer and largest shipbuilder.
Construction began in the fall of 2007. Ironically, builders ran into difficulty finding structural steel for project due to a global steel shortage at the time. Plus, demolition took longer than expected because of the heavy concrete foundations used in construction of the old steel building on the site.
Having to face all those issues, one might wonder why Las Vegas Sands Corp. wanted to build a $600 million casino on the old Bethlehem Steel site in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The answer lies in the location’s proximity to New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City.
In fact, as ads across the area often claim, the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Manhattan and Jersey City, New Jersey, is less than an hour away.
The Bethlehem Steel site was strategically chosen because it gave Sands the best chance at attracting customers from its most populous areas in the region while taking away market share from other casinos all over the Northeast.
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem didn’t meet its July 2008 projected opening date. However, it did open on May 22, 2009, and it was immediately a success. The state granted the property a license for table games in 2010. It then underwent a $30 million expansion, helping it grow into the highest-grossing casino in the state. Although, it now sits second behind only Parx Casino in Bensalem.
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem now features more than 3,000 slot machines, 200 table games, and a number of electronic table games. It is also home to the second-highest grossing poker room in PA.
A hotel opened on the property in 2011. It is connected to the casino through The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem, an indoor shopping mall. There is also a 14,000 square-foot event center on the property. The Wind Creek Bethlehem Event Center can fit up to 3,800 and regularly does, hosting concerts and various other forms of live entertainment throughout the year.
Once Pennsylvania passed its online gambling expansion act in 2017, the notoriously anti-online gambling Sands Corps started to look for a buyer for the property. Talks with MGM Resorts eventually stalled. Then, in March 2018, Sands announced it was selling the property to Wind Creek Entertainment, run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
The property officially switched over in the fall of 2019. The property is now fully owned and operated by Wind Creek.
Casino games at Wind Creek
Wind Creek Bethlehem has a huge variety of slot machines. It has everything from the latest themed slots to progressive Jackpot machines ranging in denomination from 1¢ to $100.
There’s also a massive selection of video poker games on the property. Plus, Wind Creek has Live Dealer Stadium Gaming, offering low-limit, live dealer Baccarat and Roulette with electronic betting terminals.
However, Wind Creek Bethlehem is best known as the table games leader in PA. Classics like Blackjack and Roulette are there. However, so are rare Asian gambling favorites like Sic Bo and Pai Gow Tiles. Wind Creek also has Craps tables as lively as any in Las Vegas. Limits vary and so do the selection of games. In fact, with over 200 table games on the property, there’s likely something for everyone.
Alternative table games at Wind Creek include:
- Texas Hold’em Bonus
- Three Card Progressive Poker
- Fortune Pai Gow Poker
- Let It Ride Stud Poker
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Mini/Midi Baccarat
- Big Six
- Casino War
The poker room is among the most popular in the state. The 27-table poker room spreads:
- Limit and no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em
- Stud
- Omaha
The Wind Creek Bethlehem advantage
Wind Creek Bethlehem has all the latest slot titles players love, but its real advantage lies in its variety of sheer number of table games. It is far and away the table games leader in the PA casino market, giving it more of an old casino feel that any other gambling facility in the state.
Add in the fact it has a shopping mall, a hotel, and all the amenities, entertainment, and restaurant venues one would expect to find at a modern casino resort and Wind Creek Bethlehem advantage is clear.
Winf Creek has developed into a true entertainment destination. It was built in close proximity to New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City in an effort attract clientele from the populous areas in the region and other casinos all over the Northeast. By all accounts it has succeeded in doing so.
Coordinates: 40°36′53″N75°21′33″W / 40.6148°N 75.3591°W
| Wind Creek Bethlehem | |
|---|---|
Former logo on the old ore crane of Bethlehem Steel | |
| Address | 77 Wind Creek Blvd Bethlehem, PA 18015-7705 |
| Opening date | May 22, 2009; 11 years ago |
| Theme | Industrial |
| No. of rooms | 302 |
| Total gaming space | 139,000 sq ft (12,900 m2) |
| Signature attractions |
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| Notable restaurants |
|
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Poarch Band of Creek Indians |
| Architect | RTKL Associates |
| Previous names |
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| Renovated in | Casino floor expansion (late 2009-2010), Hotel (early 2011), Shopping mall (late 2011-2012) |
| Website | Casino Website |
The Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem) is a casino hotel located in the Bethlehem Works development site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is owned and operated by Wind Creek Hospitality, an entity of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
History[edit]
The property is one of five stand-alone casinos that was awarded a slots license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on December 20, 2006.[1] It was developed by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. The casino was slated to open in July 2008, but demolition took longer than expected due to the heavy concrete foundations of the old steel building. Its opening was delayed until the second quarter of 2009. The first concrete for the complex, which is located on the former Bethlehem Steel land on the south side of the city, was poured on November 15, 2007.
It opened on May 22, 2009. While the Las Vegas Sands owned several properties, this was the only casino in the United States to carry the Sands brand in its name, since the original Sands Hotel in Las Vegas was demolished and replaced with The Venetian, and the Sands Atlantic City was closed and demolished.
In the winter of 2009–2010, the casino was granted a license for table games which allowed the casino to expand to include 180 table games, including poker, blackjack and craps.[2] Table games began operation on July 18, 2010. The Sands Hotel opened on May 27, 2011.
Following the addition of table games, the casino has become a popular destination for Asian Americans from New York City, who frequently travel to the casino on motorcoach buses operated by Chinatown bus lines. More than 3,000 riders a day traveled by bus to the casino from Asian American neighborhoods in New York City. The casino has the busiest motorcoach business of any casino in Pennsylvania.[3]
Sands had offered $45 in free play vouchers for slot machines to riders who paid $15 for a bus ticket. This offer led to the creation of an underground market where Asian American bus riders from New York City, often low-income or homeless people, would sell their free play vouchers upon arriving at the casino and would hang around Bethlehem for the day without gambling before returning by bus to New York City. Casino patrons would buy the free play vouchers in bulk at a discount and use them in the video poker machines, which have a lower house advantage, and attempt to make a profit. On March 31, 2014, in an effort to end this practice, the video poker machines at Sands stopped accepting the free play vouchers given to bus riders.[3]
It was the only property in the company to end 2014 with a profit, doing better than Sands' Vegas and Asia properties.
In November 2016, a planned expansion of the gaming floor, along with, two additional restaurants was announced.
In March 2018, it was announced that the property would be sold to Wind Creek Hospitality for $1.3 billion.[4][5] Wind Creek Hospitality had plans for a $190-million expansion to the property that would add a 300-room hotel and possibly an indoor water park.[6] The sale was completed in May 2019,[7] and the property was renamed as Wind Creek Bethlehem in July 2019.[8]
On June 10, 2020, Wind Creek Bethlehem was granted approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to offer sports betting. Construction of the sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and located at the site of Buddy V's Ristorante, began around August 18, 2020 and opened on November 18, 2020.[9][10]
Wind Creek Event Center[edit]
The Wind Creek Event Center was designed by Howard Kulp Architects of Salisbury Township. The event center features 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m2) of flexible multipurpose space, which accommodates meetings, conventions, and a variety of entertainment events.[11][12] The venue can house 3,800 in a general admission setting and 2,500 in a reserved seating setting.[13] Operated by Live Nation Mid-Atlantic, it was opened on May 16, 2012 as the Sands Bethlehem Event Center, with a concert by Incubus.[14]Janet Jackson performed to a sold-out crowd at the venue in November 2017 for her State of the World Tour.[15]Britney Spears performed at the venue in July 2018 on her Piece of Me tour.[16]
Facilities[edit]
Gaming[edit]
The casino features over 3,000 slot machines, 200 table games, several electronic table games, and sports betting. Sands spent $26 million in 2009 to add 119 table games: 41 blackjack tables, four craps, four roulette, four three-card poker, fourteen mini-baccarat, four midi-baccarat, three pai gow poker, two pai gow tiles, one Big Six, two Let It Ride, two Caribbean stud, four Texas Hold'em Bonus, one Casino War, one sic bo and 12 poker tables. Later a 30-table poker room was built off of the main floor. Table games began operation on July 18, 2010.[citation needed] The sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and opened on November 18, 2020, has 79 TV screens, 13 self-serve sports betting kiosks, and 8 teller windows. Wind Creek Bethlehem also offers online sports betting.[9][10]
Dining[edit]
- Burgers and More by Emeril (BAM)
- Carlo's Bake Shop(also known as Carlo's Bakery)
- Chopstick
- Croissanterie
- Steelworks Buffet & Grill
- The Market Gourmet Express Food Court, currently including:
- Bananas
- Casa Java
- Far East
- GreenLeafs
- Mo Burger
- South Philly Steaks & Fries
- Villa Italian Kitchen
Nightlife[edit]
- Molten
- Coil Lounge
- Vision Bar
Shopping[edit]
The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem is an indoor shopping mall that connects the casino and the hotel.[17] The outlet center, which opened on November 1, 2011 and is located under the Minsi Trail Bridge, comprises 133,000 sq ft (12,400 m2) of retail space and includes a food court, near the casino entrance.
Events[edit]
Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival[edit]
The hotel hosts the yearly Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival, held at the end of May/early June to benefit the culinary and hospitality program at Northampton Community College.[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'PA Gaming Control Board Approval'(PDF). PA Gaming Control Board. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^'PA Gaming Control Board Renews Slots License For Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem - Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board'. gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^ abAssad, Matt (April 12, 2014). 'Sands Casino cracks down on bus riders'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^Radzievich, Jon Harris, Nicole. 'Sands Bethlehem casino to be sold to Alabama Indian tribe for $1.3 billion'. Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^'Las Vegas Sands selling Bethlehem casino for $1.3 billion'. lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^Backover, Justin; Lewis, Will (January 15, 2019). 'Sands Bethlehem expansion plans include 300-room hotel, possible water park'. Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^Harris, Jon (May 31, 2019). 'The deal is complete: Sands Bethlehem casino is now owned by Wind Creek Hospitality'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^Gore, Leada (July 16, 2019). 'Sands Casino renamed by Poarch Creek, now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem'. The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ abHarris, Jon (June 10, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem's sportsbook, to be built in current home of Buddy V's, plans to open in November'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ abBresswein, Kurt (November 18, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem now open for sports betting in newly renovated space'. LehighValleyLive. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^'Venue - Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. Sands Bethlehem Event Center. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^'Sands Event Center to expand, with new balcony, before 2nd anniversary Howard Kulp Architects'. www.hkulparchitects.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- ^Moser, John J. (February 12, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center: Here's what it looks like, what's ahead, and why it will succeed'. The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^Olanoff, Lynn (May 16, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center holds grand opening before Incubus concert'. The Express-Times. Advance Publications. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^Moser, John (November 10, 2017). 'Janet Jackson seeks respect, wins with hits, at Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. The Morning Call. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
But it also wasn’t a surprise when, after all that, Jackson told the sold-out crowd, “Get the point? Good, let’s dance,” and spent most of the rest of the 34-song show doing a litany of hits.
- ^Moser, John J. (July 18, 2018). 'Britney Spears' Vegas-style show borders on boring at Sands'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^Darrow, Chuck (November 1, 2011). 'Sands opens shopping mall'. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^'Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Fesitval'. Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival Website. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
Sands Casino Bensalem Pa
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