Slot parlor in Erie, Pa. draws customers from Ohio

Presque Isle Downs and Casino, just off of Interstate 90 near Erie, Pa, has 2,000 slot machines spread across the 47,436 square-feet gaming floor.

Laura Bischoff/Staff Presque Isle Downs and Casino, just off of Interstate 90 near Erie, Pa, has 2,000 slot machines spread across the 47,436 square-feet gaming floor.

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By Laura A. Bischoff, Staff Writer Updated 11:05 PM Sunday, August 30, 2009

ERIE, Pa. — On a beautiful, sunny August afternoon some three miles from the sandy shores of Lake Erie, hundreds of adults feed hard-earned money into beeping, blinking machines inside a noisy, smoky slot parlor.

They sip Cokes and cocktails served by young waitresses dressed as Roaring ’20s flappers. The chance of winning big keeps their eyes locked on their machine screens.

Presque Isle Downs and Casino, just off Interstate 90 next to a landfill, is a new $290 million horse track with 2,000 slot machines. It is similar to what could be built just south of Dayton once the Lebanon Raceway moves to a new location and adds 2,500 slot machines.

Gov. Ted Strickland hopes to close a budget gap in Ohio with video slot machines at Ohio’s seven racetracks. He estimates the parlors could generate $933 million over two years.

MTR Gaming opened Presque Isle Downs in February 2007. Last year, during its first full year of operation, the racetrack/gambling parlor generated $168 million in revenues.

The complex employs 700 workers during the racing season and 500 year-round — jobs that pay on average more than $10 an hour, including tips, according to Presque Isle Downs Chief Executive Richard Knight.

Like Dayton, Erie has been hard-hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs.

“It’s been a big asset to the community,” said John Oliver of VisitErie, the visitors and convention bureau. Unemployment in Erie hovers between 8 percent and 8.5 percent, and the casino is a way to get travelers to stop by and spend their money, he said.

“It has certainly proven to be a strong draw, particularly from Ohio,” Oliver said.

On that beautiful, sunny August afternoon, about 35 percent of the cars in Presque Isle’s lot had Ohio plates.

Keep reading: Lawsuit may be deal killer for slots plan

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