Philadelphia Park Casino Bensalem, Pa.

PROJECT COST: $350 Million

The Philadelphia Park Casino in Bensalem, Pa., will offer gamblers a glitzy, Las Vegas-style casino in which to play electronic table games and slot machines.

The $350-million, 200,000-sq-ft building will house 3,500 slot machines and table games, such as video poker; an elegant high-limit lounge; and new dining, cocktail, sport bar and live entertainment options. The casino will also have banquet rooms.

T.N. Ward Co. of Ardmore, Pa., broke ground on the $200-million construction project in March 2008. The structural-steel frame building sits on a concrete spread-footing foundation. By this spring, crews were working on interior finishes.

The front entrance features a glass window wall, 500 ft long by 40 ft high, with spider connections to create the illusion of a frameless glazed span. Glass-fiber-reinforced concrete surrounds the glass. Inside, three large video walls will welcome visitors. The largest, in the center, is 70 ft tall, flanked on either side by 60-ft-tall screens.

Philadelphia Park plans a grand opening in December. Once the new casino is operational, the gaming company will covert the existing casino building into a facility to support its racing operations.

Key Players

Owner: Philadelphia Park Casino, Bensalem, Pa.
Contractor: T.N. Ward, Ardmore, Pa.
Architect: Friedmutter Group Architecture & Design Studios, Las Vegas