Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack — Attraction in Wheeling

The family and I usually end up visiting the casino and buffet during Christmas time when I’m visiting. The casino has a good selection of slots and the buffet food is pretty good. There are a few areas of improvement though. The ladies that are at the front entrance to the buffet are so unfriendly and clearly don’t like interacting with people. They seem like we are inconveniencing them as we are trying to pay for the buffet. A quick “Hello, how are you doing” would be nice. Instead they just blurt out “What are you drinking”. No smile, pretty much just dead inside.

The Players Services is usually pretty slow because it’s tied in with Hotel Registration. It would be nice if they had a kiosk that can print out player cards if you lost yours. Most casinos that I’ve been to have these and it’s convenient to use if that’s all you need.

They have a free soda machine, which is nice. They are supposed to have free coffee next to the soda machine, but every time we would visit it has a “Temporarily” out of service sign on it. Seem like it’s permanently temporarily out of service. Just take it out and stop offering if if you can’t provide it.

There are a couple of kiosks around to check your points and offers on your player card. Two in the back of the casino near the cash cage and two near the front entrance. The ones near the front entrance need a stanchion or floor stickers to help coordinate the line. Sometimes there are two lines, sometime there is one line that forms for both kiosks. People don’t know that there is one single line and they end up skipping everyone to get to the next open kiosk. It’s a pretty easy fix so the line can move efficiently.

The Pointe restaurant had the best fillet that I’ve ever had. I’ve eaten at high end steak houses and this one was definitely one of the best.

The food court also has some good food options if you need something quick to snack on.

Smoking at this casino is pretty bad. If you’re not a smoker you’ll definitely leave with some form of lung cancer. Most of the smokers don’t care and will gladly leave their cigarettes burning just to make sure the room is full of smoke all night long. They used to have a bigger smoke free section that was somewhat separated, but they turned that into this weird buffalo corner or something like that. There used to be a soda machine there too, but it’s gone now. I think the new smoke free section is near the buffet, but there aren’t many noticeable signs that point that out. At least there is a small area to get some fresh air, so I can’t complain too much. They do tend to put the newer machine in the smoking section though, so you’ll have to breathe that in if you want to play the newer games.

Overall this casino has a lot of good things, but there are still a few areas that could use...

I’m writing this to express my serious dissatisfaction with Wheeling Island Casino. Based on my recent visits, I have several concerns that I believe others should be aware of before choosing to spend their time and money here.

Freeplay Drawings Raise Serious Questions: During Saturday’s freeplay drawings, one individual was drawn for, I believe, every single drawing. This individual tips big and is one of few you see that wins in there and oddly enough lives within minutes of the casino. While the casino claims these drawings are random, this pattern was so statistically unlikely that it felt almost impossible to believe. I do not believe that the drawings are random, ot at least a portion of them arent.

Poor Payback Experiences: My personal experience with the slot machines here has been consistently disappointing. It feels like payback rates are exceptionally low, making it nearly impossible to enjoy a reasonable gaming experience. This has been echoed by many others I’ve spoken to as well. The only people you see winning are the same people that seem to always win, and again, feels like it's not random.

Unacceptable Filthiness: The bathrooms are consistently filthy, with a strong stench that makes them unpleasant to use. For an establishment that aims to provide entertainment and leisure, basic cleanliness should not be overlooked.

Reduced Freeplay for Loyal Customers: I’ve noticed that the casino has steadily reduced the amount of freeplay it offers, even to regular patrons. This gives the impression that loyalty is not valued here If you go spend 10,000 in a month ya might get 200 in weekly freeplay the following month. If that month you only spend 2000, they'll lower your freeplay down by 50-75%, even when tou attend the casino regularly. There is no benefits for loyalty here at all. Hollywood in Columbus gives 300 and ive spent 1/10 there of what I spend here.

I will be sharing this review with my Facebook group of 50,000+ members, encouraging them to consider other casinos that provide fairer, cleaner, and more enjoyable experiences as well as asking them to share to their friends and family . These issues, particularly the questionable freeplay drawings, have left me feeling that Wheeling Island Casino does not prioritize fairness or customer satisfaction.

If the casino chooses to address these concerns and take tangible steps to rectify them, I would consider revisiting this review. However, based on my experience over the past 5 years, I am not optimistic that this...

The only redeeming aspect of this hotel/casino is the size of the hotel room we rented. I highly recommend this casino if you like feeling oppressed, silenced, and ultimately stranded without a place to stay at 2am in a neighborhood that could use some type of government or company sponsorship. My partner and I were kicked out of the casino (and therefore also the hotel) at 2am Thanksgiving Day morning because my partner parked as close to an entrance as possible and I met him there and opened the door, like a gentleman for him. Neither one of us knew that this was an Emergency Exit. My partner, well into his 30’s, who was previously ID’d by security when we checked in, had no reason to dodge security, he even offered them his ID when he was pulled out of the elevator and kicked out of the casino. They then came for me and kicked me out of the casino and the hotel room I paid for already. I was made to pack my bags in front of a glaring security manager who allowed me no voice of reason, questions or understanding of what was happening and why was I being treated like a criminal when all I did was save my partner from walking an extra 20 feet by opening a door for him. But then to be accused as a lying to them and knowingly breaking rules and fluent where all the check points are, which entrances are and are not entrances but exits from certain times of day and seasons….this was my first (and presumably my last) trip to this casino; my first time on the casino floor, i knew nothing about the entrance and exit policies of each door, what clusters of security guards are or are not security checkpoints, nor would I ever care, I have nothing to hide, avoid or lie about.

I went back to the casino/hotel to make things right, to understand what went wrong, where the misunderstanding was or at the very least get refunded for a $400+ bill for a hotel I wasn’t allowed to stay in. But I was stopped at the main security booth and not allowed to even speak to a representative from the hotel. I was instructed to leave the property immediately and if I wanted to communicate with anyone from the hotel I could call or email.

Without a rational explanation as to why I was dealt such a harsh punishment for what I thought was an act of kindness my mind can only wonder; Was I being targeted because I’m a minority? Gay? Or an easy target to scam having me pay for a hotel room (3 nights = $450) to kick me out so they could flip it make more money from...