By 10 a.m., the line to enter The Meadows Racetrack & Casino was 250 people deep. By 11 a.m., the line was measured in miles -- automobiles clogged the mile-long stretch of Racetrack Road between the casino and the highway, and the queue to exit Interstate 79 was a full mile-and-a-half heading north.

It was Opening Day of a different kind in Washington County. Nobody seemed to care that the Pirates were playing their first home game of the 2009 season in Pittsburgh -- not when the new, 3,700-slot casino was opening at 11 a.m. yesterday to an invitation-only test crowd.

The invitations, 17,000 in all, were distributed by Washington County's volunteer fire departments. The proceeds from yesterday's soft opening will benefit those fire departments.

"She kept waiting for her invitation," said Verona's Debbie Horvat of her mother, who is a regular slots player. "Who shows up to gamble this early?" she joked, rather rhetorically, as Ms. Horvat and her mother were indeed among the hundreds waiting in the chilly conditions for the doors to open. The people at the head of the line, with their faces pressed up against the casino's windows like children outside a pet store, had been waiting for two hours.

When they and the rest of the crowd were allowed in, they found that their white invitations didn't actually grant them access to the casino floor. Instead, they had to wait a while longer to exchange their invitations for red lanyards and cards with their names on them. The crowd was audibly displeased, but remained orderly.

When they got to the gaming floor, they found a space less cramped and less compartmentalized than the temporary casino across the street, where gamblers have been playing the slots since June 2007.

Yesterday's dry run was a test of the casino's new computer systems, said Michael Graninger, the tuxedo-clad general manager at The Meadows casino. Also tested were the casino's front-line and security employees -- and they were ready for the crowds.

Bill Paulos, principal investor with Cannery Casino Resorts (owner of The Meadows), expects -- or at least hopes -- that the newest property in his small group of casinos will outperform the industry at large. From Las Vegas to Atlantic City, N.J., casinos are feeling the effects of the recession, though Pennsylvania's young gambling industry has remained largely immune.

"It's our largest property," Mr. Paulos said. "We've got over half-a-billion invested where we're standing right now."

He also said the casino was off the selling block. Earlier this year, the Cannery chain was in purchase talks with Australian company Crown Ltd. But in late March, Crown and Cannery pulled out of the $1.8 billion purchase agreement, at least for the time being.

Mr. Paulos also reiterated his support for an expansion to table games, such as blackjack and poker, which would require the action of the state Legislature.

"We're in competition with West Virginia," he said. The neighboring state allows table games.

When he was finished with his interviews, Mr. Paulos checked the time, then turned to the phalanx of floor and security employees who were at the casino entrance, ready to greet the crowd. "Here they come, guys!" he shouted. Moments later, a half-dozen security personnel threw open the doors. The first of the gamblers who funneled into the casino were met with cheers and applause, and proceeded to play the slot machines. The Meadows estimated that more than 10,000 came during the day.

The casino's grand opening, which is open to the public, is scheduled for tomorrow, as long as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board found no problems with yesterday's soft opening. The track's harness racing season also begins tomorrow.