The Meadows, a harness track since 1963
The track opened on June 28, 1963, run by the Washington Trotting Association as the first pari-mutuel track in western Pennsylvania. In 1973 a group including trainer and driver Delvin Miller bought it, and his name and influence still define the place: the top race carries his name and a statue of his stallion Adios greets visitors.
The track also pioneered home betting. In 1983 it launched Call-A-Bet phone wagering and the Meadows Racing Network on local cable, later turned by Magna Entertainment into Xpressbet. Owners came and went, from Ladbroke to Magna and Cannery Casino Resorts, before Gaming and Leisure Properties bought the property in 2016 and PENN took over operations in October 2018.
Year-round harness racing
On the five-eighths-mile oval, a one-mile race starts on the backstretch and covers three turns. There is no hub rail; pylons mark the inside, and a passing lane in the 566-foot stretch, known as the Lightning Lane, gives trailing horses a route home. The original Tartan surface gave way to stone dust.
The 2026 calendar, revised on September 30, counts 169 live race days from January to December. Most cards start at 12:45 p.m. Eastern, with some 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. posts. Races carry up to nine starters on the gate, with a tenth horse starting from the second tier.
Adios week and other racing events
The Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids has been raced every year since 1967, moving to Pocono Downs only in 2008, during casino construction. The 60th edition was the closing race of a 16-race card on July 25, 2026, after elimination heats the week before, and it remains a Grade 1 Grand Circuit test for three-year-old pacers.
Other racing events at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows follow the state harness calendar. The Adioo Volo for three-year-old filly pacers and the Arden Downs series for two- and three-year-olds share Grand Circuit week, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes run from May to September, and the Fair Finals close the stakes season in October.
The Hollywood Casino at The Meadows gaming floor
The temporary casino opened on June 11, 2007, and the permanent 350,000-square-foot building replaced it on April 15, 2009. Table games started on July 8, 2010. In August 2026 the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board counted an average of 1,875 slot machines and 84 table games, the largest table count among the state’s racinos outside Parx.
Eight of those tables are non-banking poker tables. The banked games include blackjack, roulette and craps, played with RFID-tagged chips. A retail sportsbook opened in October 2019 with former Pittsburgh athletes at the ribbon cutting. When the permanent casino was built it included a food court, a café, a steakhouse overlooking the track and a 24-lane bowling center.
Hotels near Hollywood Casino at The Meadows
The complex has no hotel of its own. The track sits at the Racetrack Road exit of Interstate 79, where hotels sit close to the interchange, and the city of Washington is a few miles south. Pittsburgh hotels are about 25 miles away, a drive of roughly half an hour outside rush hour.
Adios week is the time to reserve early, since the race draws owners, trainers and fans from across the harness circuit. For a longer trip, the Pittsburgh area also has Wheeling Island across the West Virginia line, a racino with its own hotel, and Mountaineer, a thoroughbred racino in the state’s northern panhandle.
Other Pennsylvania racinos and online play
Presque Isle Downs in Erie is the other western Pennsylvania racino, running thoroughbreds on a synthetic track from May to October, about two hours north on Interstate 79. Hollywood Casino Penn National, also operated by PENN, races at night near Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania overview compares the six tracks, and the pari-mutuel guide covers harness betting basics.
Unlike the other five Pennsylvania racinos, Hollywood Casino at The Meadows does not appear on the Gaming Control Board’s list of interactive gaming certificate holders, so no online casino brand runs under its license. Statewide context is covered on the Pennsylvania state page. Any visit, online or in person, is best planned with a spending limit.