Mt. Airy: Lights, slots, action
State's first stand-alone casino holds initial test night with hopes of opening Monday.
RORY SWEENEY
Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times Leader Staff Writer
October 20, 2007
PARADISE TWP.—Fans of slot machine gambling willing to drive an hour from the Wyoming Valley to the Mount Airy Casino Resort will be greeted by an exterior of red-neon signs that belie a more tasteful interior featuring plant-like wire and glass sculptures, only to be bombarded by the cacophony of blinking lights and disassociated noises that mark any slots parlor.
“I look at it as having guests over for a party [at] our home,” said Lisa DeNaples, the casino’s vice president of development and construction and daughter of owner Louis DeNaples.
Welcome to gambling in the Poconos, courtesy of a $412 million makeover by Louis DeNaples, the Dunmore native who made a fortune off landfills and junkyards.
Her father nowhere in sight, Lisa DeNaples and Joe D’Amato, Mount Airy’s chief executive officer, led members of the media through the facility on Friday to show off the long-awaited first stand-alone casino in the commonwealth just hours before invited guests would arrive for the casino’s first test night.
Though the seats were empty, there was plenty of activity. Besides the lights and sounds, a small army of workers cleaned and polished every surface, checked machines and prepared the four restaurants.
By 7 p.m. Friday, at least 1,000 people had arrived for the test night, and another 1,000 were expected, spokesman Kevin Feeley said.
“A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this,” he said.
The same turnout is predicted for tonight’s test run. Per state regulations, casinos must successfully hold two test nights, with the revenues going to charity, before opening. Four charities will be splitting the money: the United Way of Monroe County, Villa of Our Lady Retreat House just down the street from the resort, the St. Joseph’s Center and Little Sisters of the Poor, both of Lackawanna County.
Of the parlor’s 2,523 slot machines, some will be familiar to slots patrons, but other themed ones, with bonus games and videos, are new to the state, D’Amato said. Featured were the game Monopoly and the movies “Top Gun” and “King Kong.” The balance is weighted about 65 percent toward real slots, he said, because Pennsylvanians tend to enjoy them over video ones.
Penny slots abounded, but because Pennsylvania doesn’t allow coins, the smallest cash denomination usable is a $1 bill.
Blackjack slots are playable at the bar in the center of the parlor. There’s even a small gift shop offering merchandise for guests who want to commemorate their visit and a Pennsylvania state lottery instant game vending machine for gamblers who really need a fix.
D’Amato said the “newness,” selection, beauty and “especially service” at the facility will attract customers.
Bus trips aren’t scheduled to begin for about two weeks and the facility’s first round of amenities, including some hotel rooms, a spa, nightclub and salon, won’t be done until at least November. Nevertheless, the casino is expecting patrons to show up around 10 a.m. Monday, the tentative opening day, even though they can’t begin playing the slots until noon, D’Amato said.
The food service at Mount Airy runs the gamut from a refined restaurant to a 24-hour buffet. Menu prices include $4 draft beers, including the Italian import Birra Moretti, at the steakhouse and entrees around $10 at the 24-hour diner. Signs advertised the buffet for $15.
By the end of 2008, the 891-acre complex is expected to boast 400 hotel rooms, 3,000 slots and a pool in addition to the facilities being opened this year.
DeNaples bought Mount Airy in late 2004 for $25 million. For decades it was one of the Poconos’ best-known resorts, but it fell into disrepair in the 1990s and had been shuttered when DeNaples bought the sprawling complex and adjoining golf course.
