Hollywood Casino Penn National

2/15/08

Hollywood Casino, Grantville Pa., Penn National Gaming

First Trip to the new Hollywood Casino at Penn National.

Well let's just say my first impression was less than stellar. Slots and a race track are not a casino. Period.

So how much of that is Penn Nationals fault and how much is the Pa. state Legislator fault. Well I'm willing to split the difference at 50/50. Arguably Pa. has the worst gambling legislation in the country. If not the worst certainly in the top 3.

Slots are the bally wick of the over 60 crowd. Which is fine if you goal is to extract as  much money as possible from the senior citizens of your state. However if your goal is to maximize revenue and create jobs for residents of your state, Pa. has failed as miserably as is humanly possible.

Penn National' s Hollywood Casino Leaves A Lot To Be Desired

But let's be fair to Penn National. They have to work within the laws passed by the Pa. state Legislator. The laws passed by our esteemed representatives are probably the worst in the nation.

I'm not sure who's are worst but I do remember a state where you were limited to how many chips you could buy and another state that only had slots. But at least the aforementioned state had table games and all their casinos located in a central location so they could be come a destination.

Pa. has a plethora of slots parlors spread out across the state so they can be sure to give political kick backs to everyone they can. However this only precludes any location from becoming a destination and guarantees that the senior citizens don't have to ride over 2 hours on the bus to get there.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National: The Gambling Experience

Service at the bars was poor at best. They advertise 10 restaurants. Well pre-cooked burgers wrapped in foil under a heat lamp is not a restaurant. The only sit down dining I found was the Mountain View Terrace and the Sports Bar.

I opted for the Sports Bar and found 2 of the 8 bartenders/waitresses I dealt with to be professional. Which to me means they were friendly and competent. The food was average at best. Probably came from Sysco Food Service and was just heat and serve.

Most times if I went to a bar for a beer I left after 5-10 minutes because I was unable to get any service at all!

Granted they've only been open for a few days and there are major issues to be worked out, but, there is no excuse for unfriendly waitresses and bar staff. These people need to be made aware that cordial hospitality and friendly service is what puts the money in their pockets.

Not to mention thet were woefully understaffed. When patrons are at the bar 3 deep and you only have 2 bartenders and one of them has to prepare drink orders for the waitresses you should be able to figure out that you're not serving your patrons at the level of service they desire.

Well it's close to home and I love horse-racing so I guess I'll go back, but it will be under protest.

Just a little blatant sexual enticement!

Great link for Penn National News. Penn national hollywod casino,