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Live! Casino Philadelphia Is Now Open (Reservation Only). Full Opening Feb 11. Only 6 Miles from Bellmawr! Photo Tour

Live! Casino Philadelphia Is Now Open (Reservation Only).  Full Opening Feb 11.  Only 6 Miles from Bellmawr!  Photo Tour
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The Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia in the stadium district of South Philly opened last week for reservation only preview visits, which you can schedule at their site. The full opening is February 11th. This new Casino Hotel is less than 6 miles from the Brooklawn Shopping Center!

42Freeway was part of a pre-opening media tour last week, given by Rob Norton who is President of Cordish Gaming Group… and we are sharing the experience!

And yes, they are taking significant care to protect the health and safety of visitors.   The air in the casino is “turned over” TWELVE times an hour! 

They are also introducing “Reel Clear” for slot machines which will lock out the machines next to a player when they start playing, and when the player is done… the player’s machine will shut down, so that staff can sanitize it!  Great idea!    Plus barriers abound!  More on this in the photo tour!

A big thank you to Carmen G – Executive Director of Communications, for including us in on the tour.. She’s a South Jersey resident and 42Freeway fan!

Live Casino & Hotel Philadelphia
900 Packer Ave
Philadelphia, PA

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Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia Overview

The new $700 Million Dollar Live! Casino Hotel was developed with all new construction alongside i-76 (Schuylkill Expressway), just past the Walt Whitman Bridge Tolls.  It can’t be missed if you’ve headed over the bridge! 

The property originally was the location of the Stadium Holiday Inn, which was demolished to clear the way for the casino complex, new hotel tower and parking garage.  The Phillies’ Citizen Bank Park stadium is not too far behind the casino, and can be seen from the hotel rooms on that side of the building.

Even before you enter into the building you can see this is going to be awesome!  Above the main drive-up entry is a large high definition screen CEILING!  When I entered, it was showing an amazing 3D looking full motion floral display!   Check out a short clip on the 42Freeway Instagram. (Note: I believe the parking garage has a different entry)

Live! Philadelphia Casino Entrance with HD Screen Ceiling!

A quick summary rundown, and we’ll jump into the photo tour!

The Live! Philadelphia property was developed by privately held Cordish, who also own the Xfinity Live complex at Wells Fargo!  They have over 25 entertainment properties, including casinos in Maryland and Pittsburgh.

For Philadelphia, they estimate $2 Billion in economic stimulus to Philadelphia, $100 Million to City tax revenues in the first 5 years, and $25 million to the school district.

As part of the license approval process, they committed to living wages for all team members, and everyone earns at least $12 an hour for the 2,000 permanent jobs!

The Casino features 510,000 sq ft of gaming, hotel, dining and entertainment space!  208 Room Hotel.  Thousands of slot machines.   Over 100 tables.   Massive dedicated poker room.  FanDuel Sports Book.   High Limit Rooms.   

Multiple restaurants including; The Prime Rib, Sports & Social Philly, Luk Fu, and 10th St Market featuring more casual options of: Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, Sang Kee Noodle Bar, Morty’s Deli, Luckie’s Liquor, Termini Brothers Bakery and Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint.. and Taco Joint!

Gaming Photo Tour

Main Casino Floor – Center Bar

The casino floor is centered around “Center Bar”.  Aptly named, and sets the center hub of the floor, with slot and table games surrounding all sides of the bar, and key dining and gaming areas around the edge.

Center Bar: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Gaming tables have been fitted with protective plexiglass:

Table Games: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Over 2,100 all new slot machines will offer the latest in gaming excitement!  They are activating “Reel Clear” software technology on the slot machines which will do two key things:

  • When a player chooses a machine to play, the adjacent machines will be locked out so that another player can’t sit next to them!
  • When you are finished playing a machine, it will shut the machine down so that a staff member can sanitize it.  Once cleaned, the staff member will reactivate!

2,100 Slot Machines! Live! Philadelphia Casino

Sports & Social Philly; FanDuel Sportsbook

Around the perimeter of the large casino floor are the focused gaming areas and dining options.

First up is the Sport’s & Social Philly restaurant, gaming, and social lounge.  It includes a 52 foot LED TV display, plus 24 additional televisions!

Sports & Social Bar: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Sports & Social Live! Philadelphia Casino

FanDuel Sportsbook

This area includes TWO bars, and the FanDuel Sportsbook where you can bet on all of games… and watch them too!

FanDuel Sportsbook: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Poker Room!

Also along the perimeter is a dedicated 29 table poker room!  This is a large space that the photo below doesn’t do justice too!  

And as you can see… even the poker tables have protective glass!

29 Table Poker Room: Live! Philadelphia Casino

R Bar – Digital Gaming and Bar!

The R Bar is a Cordish original concept, now seen in Casinos around the country.  It’s an interactive bar featuring electronic table games and a 40 foot long video screen.  

The digital gaming tables all have protective barriers and face the bar and screen “theater style” so that everyone has a view of all the action.

R Bar: Live! Philadelphia Casino

High Stakes Gaming And Slots

For the player who likes bigger stakes, there are two high stakes areas;  one for table games, and another for slots.

High Stakes Gaming Live! Philadelphia Casino

The high stakes room includes its own bar, and in the two back corners are separate rooms.. if the player really needs some alone time!

And food is readily available from Luk Fu… well all the Casino’s food offerings would be available, but that window slot behind the bar makes it fast and easy for servers to get you your food, hot and fast!   More on Luk Fu to come!

On the opposite end of the casino floor is a dedicated High Limit Slots area!

High Limit Slots: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Restaurant Photo Tour

While we’ve touched on some of the food and drink offerings in describing the gaming areas above… there are obviously a LOT more choices!

Since we mentioned them in the High Stakes Table Game area, up first is;

Luk Fu

Authentic flavors of Southeast Asia meet in South Philadelphia!  Luk Fu offers a dynamic dining experience filled with traditional dishes that span generations, a private dining room and private Karaoke rooms.

The main dining area offers a beautiful Asian theme, but with a urban South Philly edge!

Luk Fu Restaurant: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Luk Fu has its own bar area.

And the “Karaoke” rooms… sure you can have a great time singing karaoke in these rooms, but these are large, beautiful and very private rooms down an even quieter hallway, which may get more use from whatever music star is playing the area venues and arenas!

The Prime Rib

The Prime Rib returns to Phiadelphia!

The Zagat rated Prime Rib was previously in Philadelphia for more than 20 years, and now they return with a new home at the Live! Casino and Hotel!

Award winning menu offering a delicious array of steaks, the freshest seafood, and a selection of signature salads, sides and desserts.

Make no “bones” about it… this is a high-end dining offering, and they are pulling out all the stops to give a premium dining experience!

Of course they have their own bar within the restaurant:

The Prime Rib: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Two bars actually, with this smaller one located off the main casino lobby;

And of course the best dining accommodations:

The 10th Street Market

The 10th Street Market is a more casual dining experience area, with easy and direct access from the Casino floor.  And smartly located closest to the corner towards Citizens Bank Park.  I would bet they are expecting more than a few fans to stop in for food and a beer before the game!

So how early in was 42Freeway for this media preview tour?  Well at the time, the 10th St Market was still under heavy construction.   

We peaked behind the curtains and while it looked like a huge amount of work remained, we were told by Cordish Pres Rob that they would be open just days later (for last weekend).   I had hoped to stop back and get photos of the finished dining and drink area, but alas!

This open dining area features:

  • 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
  • Sang Kee Noodle Bar & Kitchen, from the owners of the landmark Chinatown restaurant Sang Kee Peking Duck House,
  • Termini Brother’s Bakery, a beloved South Philadelphia bakery with a 99-year history, to serve their family recipes for cannoli, cookies and cakes.
  • Guy’s Burger Joint from chef and TV personality Guy Fieri,  will offer mouth-watering smash burgers featuring the world-famous Donkey sauce, S.M.C. (super melty cheese), signature seasoned fries, and hand spun shakes;
  • Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint features scratch-made tacos, salsas and guacamole paired with refreshing margaritas, a selection of Mexican beer and some classic Guy cocktails.
  • Morty’s Deli, a traditional New York style deli with mouthwatering, overstuffed sandwiches, sides and desserts
  • Luckie’s Liquor, a bar featuring a selection of beer, wine and specialty drinks.

10th Street Market Food Hall: Live! Philadelphia Casino

Hotel Photo Tour

We actually started the tour with the hotel… I switched things up for the post in what I thought was in order of how visitors will experience things!

So we last… but definitely not least…  we give you a run down of some of the hotel rooms, including the suites that I know I will never get to see again. ha!

My apologies to the folks at Live! Philadelphia as I am presenting this photos in one stream… we visited several rooms that day, but now I don’t remember which goes with which room!  The important thing is the rooms are beautiful and offer amazing views!

Hotel with Amazing Views! Live! Philadelphia Casino

Amazing Entertainment Offering!

Thank you again to the Cordish folks for the tour, and for bring an exciting new entertainment destination to the Delaware Valley!

Remember!!  You can visit NOW but you must make an online reservation during this preview phase!

On February 11th, they are fully open to the public

I look forward to visiting again and again!

Live Casino & Hotel Philadelphia
900 Packer Ave
Philadelphia, PA

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