Address and locations: 77 Sands Boulevard, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - PA 18015. Share your opinion with users and insert outlet mall rating and reviews for The Outlets at Sands Bethlehem. What current weekly ads are available at The Outlets at Sands Bethlehem? The Outlets at Sands Bethlehem (formerly The Shoppes at Sands) is an indoor shopping mall located inside the Sands Casino Resort located in Bethlehem, PA. It opened on November 1, 2011.

Coordinates: 40°36′53″N75°21′33″W / 40.6148°N 75.3591°W

The Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem) is a casino hotel located in the Bethlehem Works development site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is owned and operated by Wind Creek Hospitality, an entity of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

History[edit]

The property is one of five stand-alone casinos that was awarded a slots license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on December 20, 2006.^[1] It was developed by the Las Vegas Sands corporation. The casino was slated to open in July 2008, but demolition took longer than expected due to the heavy concrete foundations of the old steel building. Its opening was delayed until the second quarter of 2009. The first concrete for the complex, which is located on the former Bethlehem Steel land on the south side of the city, was poured on November 15, 2007.

It opened on May 22, 2009. While the Las Vegas Sands owned several properties, this was the only casino in the United States to carry the Sands brand in its name, since the original Sands Hotel in Las Vegas was demolished and replaced with The Venetian, and the Sands Atlantic City was closed and demolished.

In the winter of 2009–2010, the casino was granted a license for table games which allowed the casino to expand to include 180 table games, including poker, blackjack and craps.^[2] Table games began operation on July 18, 2010. The Sands Hotel opened on May 27, 2011.

Following the addition of table games, the casino has become a popular destination for Asian Americans from New York City, who frequently travel to the casino on motorcoach buses operated by Chinatown bus lines. More than 3,000 riders a day traveled by bus to the casino from Asian American neighborhoods in New York City. The casino has the busiest motorcoach business of any casino in Pennsylvania.^[3]

Sands had offered $45 in free play vouchers for slot machines to riders who paid $15 for a bus ticket. This offer led to the creation of an underground market where Asian American bus riders from New York City, often low-income or homeless people, would sell their free play vouchers upon arriving at the casino and would hang around Bethlehem for the day without gambling before returning by bus to New York City. Casino patrons would buy the free play vouchers in bulk at a discount and use them in the video poker machines, which have a lower house advantage, and attempt to make a profit. On March 31, 2014, in an effort to end this practice, the video poker machines at Sands stopped accepting the free play vouchers given to bus riders.^[3]

It was the only property in the company to end 2014 with a profit, doing better than Sands' Vegas and Asia properties.

In November 2016, a planned expansion of the gaming floor, along with, two additional restaurants was announced.

In March 2018, it was announced that the property would be sold to Wind Creek Hospitality for $1.3 billion.^[4][5] Wind Creek Hospitality had plans for a $190-million expansion to the property that would add a 300-room hotel and possibly an indoor water park.^[6] The sale was completed in May 2019,^[7] and the property was renamed as Wind Creek Bethlehem in July 2019.^[8]

On June 10, 2020, Wind Creek Bethlehem was granted approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to offer sports betting. Construction of the sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and located at the site of Buddy V's Ristorante, began around August 18, 2020 and opened on November 18, 2020.^[9][10]

Wind Creek Event Center[edit]

The Wind Creek Event Center was designed by Howard Kulp Architects of Salisbury Township. The event center features 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m²) of flexible multipurpose space, which accommodates meetings, conventions, and a variety of entertainment events.^[11][12] The venue can house 3,800 in a general admission setting and 2,500 in a reserved seating setting.^[13] Operated by Live Nation Mid-Atlantic, it was opened on May 16, 2012 as the Sands Bethlehem Event Center, with a concert by Incubus.^[14]Janet Jackson performed to a sold-out crowd at the venue in November 2017 for her State of the World Tour.^[15]Britney Spears performed at the venue in July 2018 on her Piece of Me tour.^[16]

Facilities[edit]

Gaming[edit]

The casino features over 3,000 slot machines, 200 table games, several electronic table games, and sports betting. Sands spent $26 million in 2009 to add 119 table games: 41 blackjack tables, four craps, four roulette, four three-card poker, fourteen mini-baccarat, four midi-baccarat, three pai gow poker, two pai gow tiles, one Big Six, two Let It Ride, two Caribbean stud, four Texas Hold'em Bonus, one Casino War, one sic bo and 12 poker tables. Later a 30-table poker room was built off of the main floor. Table games began operation on July 18, 2010.^{[citation needed]} The sportsbook at Wind Creek Bethlehem, which is operated by Betfred and opened on November 18, 2020, has 79 TV screens, 13 self-serve sports betting kiosks, and 8 teller windows. Wind Creek Bethlehem also offers online sports betting.^[9][10]

Dining[edit]

• Burgers and More by Emeril (BAM)
• Carlo's Bake Shop(also known as Carlo's Bakery)
• Chopstick
• Croissanterie
• Steelworks Buffet & Grill
• The Market Gourmet Express Food Court, currently including:
  • Bananas
  • Casa Java
  • Far East
  • GreenLeafs
  • Mo Burger
  • South Philly Steaks & Fries
  • Villa Italian Kitchen

Nightlife[edit]

• Molten
• Coil Lounge
• Vision Bar

Shopping[edit]

The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem is an indoor shopping mall that connects the casino and the hotel.^[17] The outlet center, which opened on November 1, 2011 and is located under the Minsi Trail Bridge, comprises 133,000 sq ft (12,400 m²) of retail space and includes a food court, near the casino entrance.

Events[edit]

Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival[edit]

The hotel hosts the yearly Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival, held at the end of May/early June to benefit the culinary and hospitality program at Northampton Community College.^[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'PA Gaming Control Board Approval'(PDF). PA Gaming Control Board. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
2. ^'PA Gaming Control Board Renews Slots License For Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem - Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board'. gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
3. ^ ^abAssad, Matt (April 12, 2014). 'Sands Casino cracks down on bus riders'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
4. ^Radzievich, Jon Harris, Nicole. 'Sands Bethlehem casino to be sold to Alabama Indian tribe for $1.3 billion'. Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
5. ^'Las Vegas Sands selling Bethlehem casino for $1.3 billion'. lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
6. ^Backover, Justin; Lewis, Will (January 15, 2019). 'Sands Bethlehem expansion plans include 300-room hotel, possible water park'. Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
7. ^Harris, Jon (May 31, 2019). 'The deal is complete: Sands Bethlehem casino is now owned by Wind Creek Hospitality'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
8. ^Gore, Leada (July 16, 2019). 'Sands Casino renamed by Poarch Creek, now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem'. The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
9. ^ ^abHarris, Jon (June 10, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem's sportsbook, to be built in current home of Buddy V's, plans to open in November'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
10. ^ ^abBresswein, Kurt (November 18, 2020). 'Wind Creek Bethlehem now open for sports betting in newly renovated space'. LehighValleyLive. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
11. ^'Venue - Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. Sands Bethlehem Event Center. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
12. ^'Sands Event Center to expand, with new balcony, before 2nd anniversary Howard Kulp Architects'. www.hkulparchitects.com. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
13. ^Moser, John J. (February 12, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center: Here's what it looks like, what's ahead, and why it will succeed'. The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
14. ^Olanoff, Lynn (May 16, 2012). 'Sands Bethlehem Event Center holds grand opening before Incubus concert'. The Express-Times. Advance Publications. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
15. ^Moser, John (November 10, 2017). 'Janet Jackson seeks respect, wins with hits, at Sands Bethlehem Event Center'. The Morning Call. Retrieved November 13, 2018. But it also wasn’t a surprise when, after all that, Jackson told the sold-out crowd, “Get the point? Good, let’s dance,” and spent most of the rest of the 34-song show doing a litany of hits.
16. ^Moser, John J. (July 18, 2018). 'Britney Spears' Vegas-style show borders on boring at Sands'. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
17. ^Darrow, Chuck (November 1, 2011). 'Sands opens shopping mall'. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
18. ^'Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Fesitval'. Lehigh Valley Food & Wine Festival Website. Retrieved 2017-08-23.

We finally know just what Wind Creek Hospitality is buying from Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Last March, the affiliate of an Alabama-based Indian tribe and the Sands announced they’d reached a $1.3 billion deal to sell the Bethlehem casino. But just what was at stake in the sale was not disclosed.

Was it just the casino and outlet mall? What about the No. 2 Machine Shop and the Steel General Office building? How about the annex and satellite parking lots, which the SteelStacks complex depends on?

On Feb. 21, the Sands and Wind Creek’s PCI Gaming Authority filed an official change of ownership petition with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board that details how this sale will go down. The board has not yet scheduled a hearing on the request.

Today, Las Vegas Sands is the majority owner of Sands BethWorks Gaming LLC, which owns the events center, casino and surrounding land totaling about 56 acres. Local attorney and developer Michael Perrucci, New York real estate developer Barry Gosin and their business partners have about a 10 percent share in BethWorks Gaming.

The rest of the land, almost 61 acres, is owned by Sands BethWorks Retail LLC, and ownership is split 50/50 between the Sands and Perrucci and his partners. BethWorks Retail’s holdings include the outlet mall, the blast furnaces, the Steel General Office building, No. 2 Machine Shop and several parking lots.

If it all shakes out as planned, the Sands will sell Wind Creek the casino, outlet mall, events center, hotel and some parking lots. Perrucci and his investment partners will sell off their stake but retain ownership of the property and execute a ground lease with Wind Creek, according to the filing.

Perrucci declined to comment on the details of the ground lease, citing a nondisclosure agreement preventing him from commenting on the deal.

“We will retain the SGO and the annex and certain parts of parking lots,” he said. “We are working closely with Wind Creek and the Sands.”

Sands spokeswoman Julia Corwin, who will stay on the Wind Creek team after the sale, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Once the sale is finalized, Wind Creek plans to immediately invest $190 million into a 300-room hotel expansion and development of the No. 2 Machine Shop, possibly into an indoor water park.

“We’ll control the site,” Arthur Mothershed, vice president of business development for Wind Creek, said during a January interview with lehighvalleylive.com.

Bethlehem officials are quite optimistic about Wind Creek’s plans to immediately reinvest in a property that’s sat in limbo for years, said Alicia Miller Karner, director of community and economic development.

It would seem to be a good sign if Perrucci and his investment partners retain ownership of the deteriorating 13-story, Steel General Office building and annex.

Perrucci’s Peron Development has invested $22 million into developing Five10Flats, a 95-unit luxury apartment building with first-floor restaurants and retail spaces, across the street. Two more buildings are planned and the city sees the projects as vital lynchpins in the ongoing revitalization of East Third Street.

“We finally feel like we are on the cusp of the redevelopment of the site,” Karner said. “We are so optimistic.”

The massive 103-year-old SGO building was headquarters for Bethlehem Steel Corp. until it moved its executives to Martin Tower in 1972. It has sat vacant since the mid-1990s, but various plans have been floated to reuse the building, like apartments, a hotel and office space.

“It is such a critical, important building,” Karner said.

Mayor Bob Donchez feels that the history of the Steel is really encapsulated in the SGO building, not Martin Tower, and he’s made it clear he wants it to be preserved, Karner said. Donchez did not return a phone call seeking comment.

“The SGO has sat empty for decades and it in particular is such a unique building,' Karner said. 'I am looking forward to seeing his plans.”

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s investigative and legal teams have 30 days to respond to the petition unless they ask for an extension, which has not happened, said Richard McGarvey, board spokesman. The report is then forwarded to the board to assist them in making their final decision. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, and then Wednesday, May 15.

Sands Casino Shopping Bethlehem Pa

The petition asks the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to impose a $3.75 million change of ownership fee on the sale, which is what two similar casinos -- Meadows and Presque Isle -- recently paid in sale fees.

Sands Casino Bethlehem Pa Outlet Shopping

Ultimately, it is up to the board to decide what change of ownership fee to charge, McGarvey said, but he confirmed the two casinos are quite similar to the Sands. The only major difference is that both Meadows and Presque Isle operate racetrack.

In the filing, Wind Creek discloses that it plans to obtain up to $1.4 billion of senior secured first lien credit facilities from Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Securities LLC. That’s a $1.3 billion first lien term loan facility and a $100 million first lien revolving credit facility. PCI Gaming will use the proceeds to buy the Sands; refinance existing debt of PCI and the existing owners and pay some fees and costs.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.