After years of scuttled projects and legal complications, South Philadelphia will finally welcome a casino this month with the grand opening of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, located near the Sports Complex.
The $600 million gaming and entertainment district began construction in 2018 at 900 Packer Avenue and will open with a series of reservation-only preview days on Jan. 19. An official grand opening for the general public is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 8 p.m., pending approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission.
“We are beyond excited to go Live! in Philadelphia and bring this world-class gaming and entertainment destination to the heart of the Stadium District,” said Joe Billhimer, executive vice president of Cordish Gaming Group. “What we have created here is unrivaled anywhere in the country. Sports fans, foodies, gaming enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a night of fun and excitement only has to make one stop to experience it all.”
The 510,000-square-foot property will feature the following amenities:
• More than 2,100 slots and electronic table games
• 150 live-action table games
• Dedicated 29 table Poker Room
• Luxury, 12-story, 208-room Live! Hotel
• A variety of dining and entertainment options
• State-of-the-art, industry-leading FanDuel® Sportsbook
• Six room Event Center featuring 15,000-square-feet of customizable meeting space to accommodate groups of 12 to 1,000 guests.
• Convenient access to parking with an attached multi-level structured parking facility and adjacent surface parking
Dining options slated for the casino include the return of The Prime Rib steakhouse, the Sports & Social Philly lounge and Southeast Asian restaurant Luk Fu. The 10th Street Market dining area will be home to Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, Sang Kee Noodle Bar & Kitchen, Termini Brothers Bakery, Morty's Deli, Luckie's Liquor, and two restaurants from TV personality Guy Fieri, a burger joint and a taco joint.
Two bars, Center Bar and R Bar, will also be located on and around the casino floor.
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The planned opening comes in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Philadelphia is still weighing whether it will lift restrictions on indoor dining on Jan. 15, but casinos were permitted to reopen on Jan. 4. Masks are required at all times and smoking is prohibited inside.
Live! Casino & Hotel has pledged to implement a strict sanitation program to ensure the safety of its guests.
“Our top priority is to provide a safe environment for our team members and guests,” Billhimer said. “We’ve gone through extraordinary measures to meet and exceed Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 guidelines to ensure all of our guests have fun and feel safe.”
The casino's opening concludes a 17-year process that began with plans for the Foxwoods Casino, which failed to secure financing and had its license revoked in 2010. The Cordish Companies, which also operates Xfinity Live!, secured approval for its own site in 2014, battling through legal issues for several years prior to construction.
Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia is expected to generate over $2 billion in economic stimulus to Philadelphia, as well as $100 million in tax revenue for the city in its first five years of operation, including $25 million for the School District of Philadelphia.
Reservations for Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia's preview days can be made at the casino's website.