Mr. Cashman is in the house. And it won't be long before all 2,999 of his friends arrive to join him.

The Rivers Casino installed its first slot machine yesterday, a Mr. Cashman festooned with blue and white balloons, marking another milestone in the riverfront venue's dash to its Aug. 5 opening.

Mr. Cashman was one of 278 machines delivered by truck and carried into the casino on dollies yesterday. Over the next six weeks, another 2,722 will arrive before the casino reaches its full complement of 3,000 machines before opening day.

Included in the total, casino officials said, will be two firsts for Pennsylvania -- the first machine with a minimum bet of $500 (for those with enough nerve and cash) and the first IGT-manufactured virtual roulette slot machines.

For a casino trying to separate itself from the competition, including The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, such machines could offer an edge.

"We think that's a big differentiator to have something no one else has," General Manager Ed Fasulo said.

While the $500 machine might attract only the highest of high rollers, there will be plenty of options for folks with bank accounts more the size of piggy banks. In fact, about 43 percent of all machines will accept penny or 2 cent wagers.

Others will run from 5 cents to $100, including $5 to $25 virtual blackjack and the roulette machines, giving gamblers plenty of chances to win -- or lose -- big.

Casino officials see the one-of-a-kind machines as well as the slot parlor's riverfront location and other amenities as a way to compete with The Meadows and other regional gambling venues.

And if there were any doubt that there's a fight for gambling dollars, one didn't have to look far for the evidence: A West Virginia casino was advertising black jack table games on a billboard a stone's throw from the Rivers Casino, which will have only slot machines.

"I think we're offering a little bit of a different experience," said Greg Carlin, the Rivers Casino chief executive officer. "We're here in Pittsburgh. We're on the river. I think we're going to draw from a wider population."

Mr. Carlin said the casino will target gamblers as far away as Cleveland and beyond. He also believes it can compete effectively against the casinos in Detroit. But he refused to characterize the competition for gambling dollars as a war.

"I wouldn't say it's a war. I think there's enough business for everybody," he said. "We offer a little bit of a different experience. I think even though we don't have the advantage of opening sooner [than the Meadows and others in the state], we will compete effectively."

War or no war, officials like Mr. Fasulo weren't shy about pointing out "differentiating factors" that will separate the Rivers Casino from others, during a tour yesterday.

Those factors would be things like the covered 3,800-space parking garage with eight elevators that will whisk customers right to the gambling floor.

The casino also will boast a riverfront promenade, an outdoor amphitheater with seating for 1,200, and at least six lounges and restaurants, including a steak house.

For VIPs and high rollers, there will be the richly appointed Club 44SIX, a private club named for Pittsburgh's 446 bridges. Of course, it will be located just outside of high limit slots area, offering games with minimum bets ranging from $15 to $500.

For Mr. Fasulo, the piece de resistance will be a second floor buffet looking out on the Ohio River and Mount Washington. It will seat 450 people, including 50 on an outdoor terrace. Lunches are expected to run $14 to $16 and dinners $20 to $24.

"Nothing like it in Pittsburgh," Mr. Fasulo said. "In fact, when you talk about distinguishing facts, this is one. The Meadows doesn't have this. This is going to, we believe, make Rivers certainly distinctive."

While the recession has been anything but lucky for casinos, Mr. Carlin said the impact has been a "little harder" on places such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City, N.J., and other major destinations than smaller markets.

"The regional markets certainly have held up better than Las Vegas. What we've experienced in other jurisdictions is the number of visitors roughly stays the same but maybe people have a few less dollars to spend while they're here," he said.

Yesterday's ceremony to place the first slot machine gave officials a chance to show off the casino's progress less than three months before its opening.

While the venue still has that dust-on-your-shoes feel to it in many spots, the 120,000 square foot gambling floor is shaping up, with carpeting down and the shells of most restaurants and lounges completed.

About 85 percent of the work on the floor has been done, and that should jump to 95 percent in four weeks. While the casino is still on a "very tight" construction schedule, Mr. Fasulo said he was "very comfortable" that it would be finished by Aug. 5.

About 650 people are working at the site. At the same time, officials are sorting through more than 44,000 applications for the 1,053 jobs available at the casino.