There hasn't been much beginner's luck for the Rivers Casino.

At one time considered almost a sure bet to be the top moneymaker in Pennsylvania, the North Shore slots venue has failed to live up to its billing in the seven weeks since its opening.

For the week of Sept. 21-27, it finished dead last among the state's nine casinos in gross terminal revenue, a showing officials blamed in part on the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh. But even before that, it was struggling to meet expectations, usually finishing in the bottom third of casinos in Pennsylvania in revenues.

Standard & Poor's responded last week by downgrading the casino's credit rating one notch, from B to B minus, citing concerns about the Rivers' "weak operating performance." Unless there's quick improvement, the casino may not be able to generate enough money to meet its debt obligations, it said.

To assess the situation, and to find out what gamblers had to say, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters visited the region's two slots venues, the Rivers and The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, last week at different times on different days.

What they found: Gamblers have concerns about fighting traffic to get to the Rivers and fears about crime there.

Some prefer the machines at The Meadows or think that casino pays out better or offers more free play.

Concerns about crime appear to be off base. City police said four crimes, including a hit-and run accident and criminal mischief involving a vehicle, have been reported outside the Rivers since it opened Aug. 9.

Inside the casino, state police reported 67 incidents in August, mostly the theft of vouchers, counterfeiting, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. There were 57 incidents in September.

Totals and types of offenses weren't much different at The Meadows, where there were 80 incidents in August and 52 in September.

At the Rivers, two incidents involving sex in a restroom apparently morphed into rumors of rampant prostitution. But there have been no prostitution arrests, state police Sgt. Daniel Brooks said.

Rivers spokesman George Matta said the casino is working with PennDOT to add more signs to interstates and highways around the casino to make it easier for people to get in and out.

Here is how the casinos stacked up during visits last week.

Tuesday afternoons are not normally busy, as was evident at the Rivers. Entire rows and sections of its floor were deserted, especially at higher-denomination machines.

Marc Virostek, 38, of Swissvale, was one of the younger people present, but he said he was meeting his mother and 92-year-old great-aunt, who took an AARP-organized bus from Bloomfield. He said he understands why the casino has had a hard time initially.

"I think overall people are tightening their belts due to the economy ... and I think they shot themselves in the foot by saying they would charge for parking," Mr. Virostek said. "It's pretty nice here, it's tasteful, but I believe they could have marketed it better."

A tour bus from Hermitage brought a large group of retirees from the Youngstown-Sharon-Farrell area. Several said they felt overwhelmed by its size and would hesitate to navigate Pittsburgh's streets on their own.

"I'd never drive here on a weekend -- I'd be frantic," said Bonnie Gray, 62, of Farrell, although she commended its variety of machines and the building's design.

A short time later at The Meadows, Jim and Phyllis Holston of nearby Canton, both in their mid-70s, were in the middle of one of their near-weekly trips to the casino. They had never been to the Rivers.

Mr. Holston said they will get there sometime, but it's so much more convenient to visit The Meadows.

Terry Boes, 36, one of the youngest patrons of The Meadows, said he has been to the Rivers three times but believes The Meadows has machines that are more generous to customers. Even though he works Downtown and lives in Castle Shannon, he will continue visiting The Meadows more regularly. He has even booked a bowling party for employees of his Downtown restaurant at The Meadows' new lanes.

"I kind of feel I have a better chance here, and it's more welcoming," Mr. Boes said.

While The Meadows was hardly swamped, it got busier as the morning advanced. The vast majority of those playing were older.

Among them was Rita Lambert of Beaver, who usually goes there once a month. Although the Rivers probably is closer to her home, she has yet to get there. "I just heard too many stories on the news about people stealing your tickets. I just figured it wasn't safe," she said.

"[The Meadows] seems to give you something to play with. It doesn't eat your money up right away," she said. "This is kind of right off the highway and easy to get to."

Jim Cull of Monroeville drives by the Rivers, where he has played once, on his way to The Meadows, which he prefers. He said the game he plays -- The Flame of Olympus -- isn't available at the Pittsburgh venue, which he thinks is laid out in a disorganized way.

Another gambler, Ronald Durham of the South Side, said he travels to The Meadows at least once a week because it has more Keno slot machines and he can play lower denominations there.

Along the route north on Interstate 79 to Pittsburgh, motorists pass one billboard for the Rivers but scant signs directing them to the slots venue -- none on I-79 or the Parkway West and only one on the Fort Duquesne Bridge leading to the North Side.

By 12:30 p.m., the Rivers appeared to be at least as busy as The Meadows, with a mix of younger and older patrons.

Leigh Byrne of the North Hills was trying the Rivers for the first time after visiting The Meadows 12 to 15 times. She likes The Meadows better because of the "atmosphere."

Carrie Michel of Sarver said she prefers The Meadows because she gets more free play there, perhaps as much as $80 a week. "Here I get $25 a week free play," she said.

Mr. Matta said free play, whether at The Meadows, the Rivers or another casino, is based on how much someone plays, not so much on the operator. "The more people game at a facility, the more free play they get," he said.

Even at the height of rush hour, it took just a couple of minutes to cross from Downtown to the North Shore. But few signs directed motorists to the Rivers and its 3,800-space parking garage.

Although the garage was nearly empty, the casino itself looked busy enough perhaps because of a large number of tour groups. The bus lounge was crowded, and Jeannette resident Edward Galando was ready to head home.

Mr. Galando wasn't too familiar with The Meadows but he said he likes the Rivers. He praised its buffet and lauded the curbside service afforded tour buses but said the Rivers has "too many penny machines."

"I think they should have more quarter machines ... What I'm looking for is the middle.

Louise Lynch of Arnold, who came with a group from New Kensington, liked the Rivers' aesthetics. But she and friend Louise Conte said the machines are too complicated and claimed they had to ask staff members for help.

The casino said it has addressed another of the pair's beefs -- that players can play only in $5 increments. Mr. Matta said lower-denomination machines now accept $1 bills.

While making their first visit to the Rivers, Norma McCuen and Jim Russell admired the view from its giant window on the Ohio River. Ms. McCuen, of Moon, said the place was "fantastic."

In comparing the Rivers and The Meadows, Ms. McCuen was torn. She likes The Meadows' giveaways and harness racing. She said she likes the Rivers because of "the view, and it's clean and everybody here is so helpful."

At The Meadows, the parking lot nearest the casino was fairly full, but there were plenty of spaces in outlying areas. Inside, The Meadows seemed just as busy as the Rivers.

Beverly McCurry of Clairton said she would rather take a less-stressful drive to The Meadows than navigate city streets to the Rivers. She said the Rivers was "stingy" with perks when it opened.

But she said The Meadows' machines don't seem as generous as they used to be. She also said she wins more often with cash than her player's card.

Mr. Matta said the Rivers made a deliberate effort to ramp up slowly after its big Aug. 9 opening. In retrospect, that "could have been a mistake," he said. "We thought that people had been waiting so long for the casino, they would come."

In a bid to reverse its fortunes, the casino plans to dramatically increase its promotions this month by giving away four cars and flat-screen televisions and providing chances for patrons to multiply free games or points, some built around Steelers or Pitt football games.

Mr. Matta said part of the Rivers' woes may deal with traditional Pittsburgh quirks. People don't like crossing rivers and are creatures of habit, which may explain why some feel more comfortable at The Meadows, he said.

The casino also is still trying to dispel perceptions that patrons must pay to park in its garage, brought on largely because of a decision to charge Steelers fans $50 to park during the first preseason game. Mr. Matta stressed -- as do many casino advertisements -- that parking is always free for gamblers.

As for claims that The Meadows is more generous with its payouts, that is true, but not by much. In September, The Meadows paid out 92.1 percent of the money wagered, compared to the Rivers' 91.6 percent.

Experts say such small differences aren't measurable to the average gambler. The Meadows General Manager Sean Sullivan disagreed.

"When people are playing with their hard-earned money in a recreation activity for a limited amount of time, they're looking to have their money cover that period of time," he said. "The percentages may sound close to one another, but there are meaningful differences that might give someone that extra 30 minutes of time."

Though The Meadows has been outperforming the Rivers Casino on a regular basis -- the opposite of what the state gaming board had projected -- the racetrack-casino still has seen a decline in revenue.

The Meadows has been taking in between $5 million and $5.5 million in weekly revenue since the Rivers opened, whereas it usually grossed above $6.5 million after opening an expanded casino with more than 3,700 slot machines April 15. Its weekly revenues now are about what they were while it operated in its former temporary casino, which had half the machines.

Mr. Sullivan said the casino industry typically sees declining revenue in September from summer months, as vacations end, school resumes and many patrons focus on football season. Competition from the Rivers is just one more factor affecting The Meadows, in addition to the general economic slump.

"It's hard to differentiate after five or six weeks, as to what's the seasonal adjustment and what's the impact of the Rivers," he said.

To the gamblers, the numbers that matter most are their own.

Sitting in a lounge area at The Meadows, Nate Grimm, 23, and fiancee, Stacy Cooper, 23, of Imperial, said they much prefer playing there than at the Rivers.

"I don't think we'll go back," Mr. Grimm said. "We just didn't win there."

When the University of Pittsburgh football team scored a touchdown Friday night against Louisville, the Rivers announced that everyone playing the slots at that moment would be credited with $5 of play on their Players Club cards

Cynthia Klingensmith, 54, of Scott, has been to each casino a few times. While the drive to both is about the same distance from her home, she said she's luckier at the Rivers.

"They were lucky in the beginning," she said of The Meadows. "But they went downhill."

Claudette Thompson, 58, of Bloomfield, also prefers the Rivers because she's won there.

"But I know a lot of people who don't like it here," she said. "I don't know why. They go to The Meadows, because they say it's hard to win here."

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