Westmoreland casino expansion plans include poker room, more gambling options

More than a year after establishing itself as an anchor at Westmoreland Mall, Live! Casino Pittsburgh is being upgraded.

On Tuesday, officials unveiled several new attractions, including a poker room, event center, electronic gaming tables, a FanDuel FanCave and a reconfigured high-limit room. Those features are in addition to the 30 table games, 750 slot machines and restaurant and entertainment facilities in the 100,000-square-foot casino in Hempfield.

“A year after we opened, we didn’t rest on our laurels. We went and expanded everything,” said Sean Sullivan, casino general manager. “The point is, we listen to people. The point is, we constantly want to improve things. If you don’t, you become stale, you become criticized.”

The 1,500-square-foot second-floor poker room features seven table games that will open Monday, pending approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The space, adjacent to Sports & Social Steel City, was originally designated as a banquet facility that could be used for private meetings or special events.

The poker room will generate about 25 new jobs. In preparation for its opening, casino officials hosted a free poker dealer school at the casino’s school in the former Sears wing. Last week, 24 people graduated.

Down the hallway from the poker room is a new 7,000-square-foot event center that can be used for weddings, private parties and special events. The space, which will be upgraded after New Year’s, was formerly used for storage and a staff dining room, both of which were moved downstairs. It is expected to open in 2022.

The event center currently can hold 650 people. Once it is remodeled, it will accommodate 850 people.

Also on the second floor near Sports & Social Steel City is the FanDuel FanCave.

The 826-square-foot space offers betting terminals as well as 13 leather recliners and a 173-inch television. The casino’s sportsbook is on the first floor.

“We created a viewing experience up here, and people can just sit there and walk from the bowling or the Skee-Ball to the FanCave and still be with their families,” Sullivan said.

On the first floor, near a bar that features a 45-foot television screen, 20 new electronic gaming tables are slated for the casino floor starting Dec. 23, pending approval from the gaming control board. The electronic terminals will feature roulette and blackjack dealt by a live dealer.

Plans for the terminals show 14 electronic gaming tables outside the main casino bar and six inside the bar.

Other changes to the casino floor include the reconfiguration of the high-limit room to include 18 additional slot machines.

The gaming control board is expected to vote on whether to permit Live! Casino to include the poker room and electronic gaming terminals. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in Harrisburg.

If approved, work will begin immediately on installing the terminals, Sullivan said.

“My hope is that we continue to listen to our customers, we continue to understand their needs and wants and we continue to provide solutions,” Sullivan said. “We continue to increase the entertainment experience here at Live! Casino.”