Fine horses and fine dressers grab the attention at Pennsylvania casinos this month. The 145th annual Kentucky Derby gives players another reason to party.
Building on the Derby’s unique blend of money, style, and speed, Keystone State casinos will offer fashion contests, mint julep specials, and lots of ways to cash in on the race.
Other promotions this month offer a casino “thank you” to members of the military, Memorial Day weekend car giveaways, and the debut of a food and wine festival with celebrity chefs.
Here’s a look at some of the best casino promotions and attractions for May.
Harrah’s Philadelphia
777 Harrah’s Blvd.
Chester, PA 19013
(800) 480-8020
Road to AC
A 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, a stay at Harrah’s Atlantic City, slot free play and Shell gas gift cards are among the prizes in a monthlong giveaway.
Caesars Rewards members receive a free entry for every day they swipe their card at a Harrah’s Philadelphia kiosk from May 1 to 26. Players get an additional entry for every 25 tier credits earned for slot or table game play, with 5X entries available for play on Wednesdays and 10X entries for play on May 24 and 25.
Users of the Caesars Rewards mobile apps will receive an offer every Monday for 100 bonus entries. Drawings every Friday through May 23 will award prizes of slot free play, gas cards, and stays in Atlantic City. Harrah’s will give away the car at 5 p.m. May 26.
Lady Luck Nemacolin
4067 National Pike
Farmington, PA, 15437
(724) 329-7500
($10 resort purchase required to enter casino)
Derby dollars
Lady Luck Nemacolin will give away five prizes of cash or slot free play in drawings from 4 to 6 p.m. on May 5, 12, and 19. The top prize available is $1,000 cash. Fan Club members get one free entry for each day they play, with an additional entry awarded for every 100 points earned through slot play or for every five minutes of table game play. Winners will choose from hidden prizes.
Riders up
Fan Club members can win slot free play based on the top three finishers of the Kentucky Derby. To be eligible, members must earn at least 145 points between 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Derby Day, May 4, and then print a voucher at a kiosk in the Lone Wolf Promotion area.
When they turn in the voucher, they pick their Derby entrant from hidden numbers. All entrants whose horses win, place, or show will receive an equal share of free play from these prize pools:
- Win: $1,600 total
- Place: $900 total
- Show: $500 total
10X points
Fan Club members who register at the club booth before playing will receive 10X reward points for play from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Friday in May. The maximum promotional reward is 25,000 points.
Meadows
210 Racetrack Road
Washington, PA 15301
724-503-1200
Cruise into summer
Table game and poker players can start earning entries May 1 for a shot at two 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycles and prizes of cash, slot free play, or table games match play.
The Meadows MyChoice members earn entries through June 26 based on table game and poker play, with double entries for play between midnight and noon Monday through Wednesday.
Twice-a-week preliminary drawings will award a ticket into the grand prize drawing as well as cash, free play, or match play. Drawings for table-game entrants will be every 30 minutes from 8 to 11 p.m. Thursdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Poker room drawings will be every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays. Grand prize drawings will be at 4 and 11 p.m. July 4, with each awarding a motorcycle and nine prizes of cash, slot free play, and table game match play.
Spring Fling Ford Ranger giveaway
Players start earning entries May 5 for a drawing for a 2019 Ford Ranger pickup, getting one entry for every 10 tier points accumulated through 10 p.m. May 25.
Preliminary drawings at 8, 9, and 10 p.m. May 11, 18, and 25 will award 20 prizes of $100 in slot free play or table game match play plus one prize of $500 in slot free play or table game match play and a ticket to the truck drawing. The drawing for the truck will be at 11 p.m. May 25. Winners must be present to claim prizes.
Kentucky Derby Mustang drawing
A 2019 Ford Mustang is the top prize in a series of drawings on Derby Day, May 4. MyChoice members get one entry for every 10 tier points accumulated between April 11 and May 4.
Hourly drawings from 8 to 10 p.m. May 4 will each award 25 prizes for $100 in slot free play or table game match play. At 11 p.m., five prizes of $500 in free play or match play plus an entry into the grand prize drawing will be awarded.
The drawing for the car will be at 11:15. Winners must be present to claim prizes.
Mohegan Sun Pocono
1280 Highway 315
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
(888) 946-4672
Speed into spring
A 2019 Dodge Challenger will be given away May 25. Momentum Club members earn entries based on play from May 1 to 25, with 2X entries on Tuesdays and a mystery multiplier on Wednesdays.
On May 25, Mohegan Sun Pocono will hold hourly drawings from 6 to 9 p.m. The casino will pick five entrants to compete for $250 in slot free play or an entry for the grand prize.
At 9:45 p.m., one person will be chosen from the active slot or table game players to become a wild card entrant in the final drawing. The finale drawing at 10 p.m. will pick five finalists, with one receiving the car and four getting $1,000 in slot free play.
Double Momentum
Momentum Club members earn double points and Momentum Dollars for slot or table game play on May 4, starting at 6 a.m. Ratings must be closed before 3 a.m. May 5. Live poker play is not included.
Mount Airy Casino Resort
312 Woodland Rd.
Mount Pocono, PA 18344
(877) 682-4791
Free buffet
Player’s Club members who earn 250 points on Mondays or Tuesdays in May can get a free buffet by printing a voucher at a casino kiosk. Offer is not valid on Memorial Day, May 27.
Parx
2999 Street Road
Bensalem, PA 19020
(888) 588-7279
Food and Wine Festival
Eat, drink, and be merry as Parx launches the Bucks County Food and Wine Festival with events on May 17 and 18. Here’s the lineup:
- May 17, 6 to 10 p.m., at Liberty Bell Burgers & Brews in the Liberty Bell Gastropub: Celebrity chef Marc Murphy, a judge on The Food Network’s “Chopped,” will host. The menu includes gourmet sliders, heavy hors d’ oeuvres, craft beer, and Beam Suntory cocktails. Singer-songwriter Emily Drinker will perform.
- May 18, noon to 6 p.m. at the Xcite Center: The festival will spotlight tastings of creations by Bucks County chefs and selections of wine from around the world and specialty cocktails. Celebrity chef appearances, “Iron Chef” style showdowns and seminars with master winemakers also are on the agenda. The roots-music Quixote Project will perform.
- Tickets: $50 each for May 17, $75 for May 18, or $110 for both.
Kentucky Derby Day
Parx, which also hosts thoroughbred racing, plans its own racing card on Derby Day and multiple tie-ins to the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” The Parx’s first live post will be at 12:55 p.m. Other Derby Day activities include:
- Pony rides, bounce houses and other family fun at the Picnic Grove from noon to 5 p.m., with music by Exit Row Band starting at 1 p.m.
- Parx the Horse will be in the Winners Circle after each live race for a souvenir T-shirt toss
- A barbecue stand in the picnic grove, with mint juleps available
- Broadcast on the giant infield TV of the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby Hat Contest has five categories:
- Dapper Dan: Best gent’s hat and ensemble
- Too Hot to Trot: Best women’s hat and ensemble
- Daily Double: Best-dressed couple
- Colt & Filly: Best child’s ensemble
- Ride ’Em: Best horse-themed
Preakness Stakes day
On May 18, Parx will celebrate the running of the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. Family fun will be available in the Picnic Grove from noon to 5 p.m., with live music by Raw Sugar starting at 1. Parx live racing will start at 12:55, with a T-shirt toss after each race.
Presque Isle Downs
8199 Perry Highway
Erie, PA 16509
(866) 374-3386
Kentucky Derby celebration
Presque Isle, home to a thoroughbred racing track, will honor the Kentucky Derby with multiple promotions May 3 and 4:
Kentucky Oaks celebration
In a nod to The Kentucky Oaks, held on the day before the Kentucky Derby and the country’s most lucrative race for 3-year-old fillies, Presque Isle will sell a $5 Kentucky Oaks Lily in an official souvenir glass on May 3.
The $1 million Kentucky Oaks feature race awards a garland of lilies to the winner. Those wearing something pink to the Presque Isle celebration get an entry to a drawing for the Kentucky Derby merchandise giveaway from 4 to 6 p.m. at Churchill’s Bourbon and Brew.
$10,000 giveaway
Any Players Club member who earns 500 points in one visit between April 15 and May 3 can receive an entry ticket. Twenty winners will be named, based on the results of the race.
Top prize is $5,000 cash, with $1,500 for second, and $1,000 for third. Other prizes range from $750 to $50. Second-chance drawing at 8 p.m. offers a $1,000 cash prize.
Fancy hat contest and Best-dressed couple contest
Registration begins at 4 p.m. May 4 at Churchill’s Bourbon & Brew; contest starts at 5. The first-place prize is $500 cash. Second place is dinner for four at LBV Steakhouse. Third place is dinner for two in Churchill’s Bourbon & Brew.
Table games giveaway
A Kentucky Derby T-Shirt giveaway and a $500 cash drawing will start at 10 a.m. May 3 and 4.
Party on the patio
Watch and bet outside from 1 to 7 p.m., with covers provided during bad weather. Local food trucks will be on hand.
Bonus free play
Get $10 in slot free play for every 500 points earned from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. May 4. Check in at a kiosk by 11:59 p.m. to claim your prize. Maximum bonus is $100 in free play.
Miscellaneous Derby Day offerings
Drive-through wagering will be available in the lower lot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4; a mint julep in the official Kentucky Derby Glass will be available for $5 on May 4; a $9.99 Kentucky Derby buffet will be served from noon to 10 p.m. May 4; DJ Butch Knight will entertain from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Churchill’s Bourbon & Brew
Cruise Into Summer table games giveaway
Table game and poker players can qualify for drawings for two Carnival cruises, valued at up to $3,000 each, plus $1,000 cash. Table game players earn entries for each hour of play from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 6 to 10 p.m. each day; poker players get an entry for each two hours of play. Drawings will be May 17 and 31.
Live racing opening night
Presque Isle celebrates the opening of its live racing season on May 13 by giving a free hot dog to the first 500 fans through the gates starting at 4:30 p.m., a free race season t-shirt to the first 500 adult fans, and free ice cream to the first 500 youths.
Post time will be 5:25 p.m. Jockeys will toss plush ponies and baseball caps into the crowd after each race.
Rivers
777 Casino Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(877) 558-0777
Lucky 21 drawings
Drawings at 9 and 11 p.m. May 25 will each award prizes of $5,000 and $25,000 to a lucky blackjack player. Rush Rewards members earn a drawing entry for each suited blackjack throughout the month while playing in the high limit room.
Mercedes Benz drawing
A 2019 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 is the top prize in a May 5 drawing open to Rivers Casino players who have earned 25 points on their Rush Rewards Card. Preliminary drawings at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. offer prizes of $250 in free slot play. The finale drawing awards the car and nine prizes slot free play.
Sands
77 Sands Blvd.
Bethlehem, PA 18015
(877) 726-3777
10th-anniversary sweepstakes
Sands Bethlehem will mark its 10th anniversary with cash and slot free play giveaways on May 19. Hourly drawings from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. will award one prize of $1,000 in free play. The 3 p.m. prize will be $25,000 in cash, and the 8 p.m. drawing will award $50,000 cash and three prizes of $5,000 in slot free play.
The first drawing entry is free, with additional entries based on rated slot play from April 29 to 7:45 p.m. May 19. The cash prizes and $5,000 free play prizes are based on earned entries. Hourly $1,000 free play drawings are based on random card-in. All prizes guaranteed.
BMW sweepstakes
A 2019 BMW 540i xDrive and four prizes of $1,000 in slot free play will be given away in a May 26 drawing. The first entry is free, with additional entries based on rated slot play from April 29 through 6:45 p.m. May 26.
Players earn 25X entries on Tuesdays and on May 24 and 25. A second-chance drawing at 9 p.m. will award five prizes of $1,000 in slot free play.
SugarHouse
1001 N. Delaware Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(877) 477-3715
Memorial Day car giveaway
Starting May 1, Rush Rewards members can earn entries to a Memorial Day drawing that offers a top prize of a 2019 Cadillac XT4. On May 2, Memorial Day, two entrants will be chosen each half-hour from 2 to 7:30 p.m. to receive $100 in slot free play and entry to the final drawing at 8 p.m. One will win the car be awarded at 8 p.m., with the other finalists receiving slot free play.
Armed Forces Appreciation Day
On May 18, all active or veteran military members can receive $10 in slot free play and a free cheesesteak, fries and drink by visiting the SugarHouse Rush Rewards Center between 11 a.m. and midnight. Must show valid military ID to be eligible.
Valley Forge Resort Casino
1160 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 354-8118
Spring Fling free slot tournament
Any Valley Club member may enter the Spring Fling slot tournament between 3 and 7 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday in May. The top 10 finishers each day will share a prize pool of $1,250 in cash and slot free play. Entry vouch must be printed by 6:45 p.m.
$100K Deal of a Lifetime
Valley Forge table game fans can qualify for a shot at $100,000 cash in a drawing on May 25. Club members earn entries based on table game play from May 1 to 25.
At 8 p.m. May 25, seven people will be chosen and offered the choice of winning $1,500 cash or playing a blackjack “Deal of a Lifetime.” In the game, a player who is dealt the ace and jack of spades wins $100,000 cash. A natural in clubs pays $50,000, while one in hearts or diamonds pays $25,000.
If no one hits one of those prizes, play continues. Any player who beats the dealer gets $500 cash; a natural gets an additional $250 in match play.
$25,000 dream backyard
Just in time for summer barbecues, a top prize of $25,000 worth of grilling equipment and outdoor furniture will be given away May 26. Valley Club members get five entries for every point earned on slot or table game play from May 1 to 26. Play on Wednesdays gets 10X entries for Valley Club card holders and 20X entries for elite level.
At 9 p.m. May 26, five finalists will each win a $500 Omaha Steaks gift card and one will win the top prize, which includes a Viking Professional 5 Series gas grill, a Viking Professional outdoor refrigerator, and 13 pieces of Crate & Barrel outdoor furniture.
