Pennsylvania's 'Most Boring' Tourist Trap Is A Wildly Popular Casino With Good Reasons To Steer Clear Of It

If there's a word you don't want associated with your holiday plans — especially if those plans include the thrill of visiting a casino — it's "boring." But, at Rivers Casino, in Philadelphia, a kind of drab imitation of the great gambling palaces in Vegas, your experience might be just that. According to Cheapism, which compiled a list of the most overrated tourist destinations in each state, Rivers Casino is Pennsylvania's biggest tourist trap. So, while guests come expecting the luxurious, high-stakes pleasure typically associated with the world's largest casinos, they instead find a dated, grubby, and largely underwhelming hall of slot machines and blackjack tables lacking the magic of the true casino experience.

Rivers Casino, known as the SugarHouse Casino until 2019, even grabbed the attention of a local radio station earlier this year for being Pennsylvania's "most boring" tourist experience. However, that hasn't stopped the flow of visitors. In 2024, it was the third-most popular attraction in the Philly area, drawing in 2.6 million visitors in the calendar year. It was beaten only by the Reading Terminal Market and the Independent National Historical Park, two of the best things you can't skip on a vacation to Philadelphia. With so much history in the city — it's the birthplace of America, after all — and a diverse and indulgent food scene, you'd be forgiven for wondering why so many visitors make a beeline for the casino. Especially when Atlantic City, with its upscale, Vegas-like casinos, is only an hour away.

Open 24/7. Around 1,500 slot machines. A 28-table poker room. A BetRivers Sportsbook. Perhaps Rivers Casino appears like a rainbow on the horizon, promising gamblers a pot of gold — and many ways to reach it — at the other end. However, there are ample reasons to steer clear of it. For starters, visitor complaints run a broad gamut — from excessive waiting times at the bar and apathetic staff to filthy interiors and faulty slot machines. While the last of these can perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, its 2.6-star review on TripAdvisor, across hundreds of ratings, speaks volumes.

There are also reports, starting in late 2024, of a data breach at the Rivers Casino properties, in which confidential customer information — including Social Security numbers and banking information — was revealed to a ransomware group. Some victims of the breach claimed that staff at the casino were largely unsympathetic to their concerns. Others said it kickstarted a domino effect of phishing emails and other attempts to appropriate money from their accounts, ultimately leading to a class-action lawsuit. While gaming is one of the most at-risk sectors for data breaches, the case does not bode well for visitors already disheartened by their Rivers Casino experience.