Published on: August 15, 2025, 09:51h.
Updated on: August 15, 2025, 09:55h.
- A feasibility report indicates that a convention center should be situated close to Live! Casino Pittsburgh.
- Live! Casino Pittsburgh operates as a mini-casino in Westmoreland County.
Plans are being discussed for Live! Casino Pittsburgh to potentially accommodate an adjacent convention center and hotel, following a county-commissioned analysis that identified the casino as an optimal site for a meetings and hospitality venue.
In December, the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce allocated $25,000 to initiate a study evaluating potential sites for a convention center and hotel. This independent analysis was supported through private donations along with a $5,000 grant from Hempfield Township, which hosts the Live! Casino in Greensburg.
The study was conducted by Dallas-headquartered CBRE, a leading firm in commercial real estate services. The insights and recommendations from CBRE, which were first reported by TribLive, propose that the Westmoreland Mall should host a meeting space and hotel.
The researchers recommend constructing a 50,000-square-foot convention center and a 200-room hotel at the Westmoreland Mall or a nearby location. CBRE anticipates that these developments could bring in approximately $270 million in direct revenue during the initial decade, contribute over $16 million in local taxes, and create more than 120 new jobs.
Overview of Live! Casino Pittsburgh
Opened in November 2020, Live! Casino Pittsburgh is classified as a Category 4 “satellite casino.” Operated by the Baltimore-based Cordish Companies, which also manages a major casino in Philadelphia, it creatively repurposed a former Bon-Ton department store at the Westmoreland Mall, resulting in a round-the-clock mini-casino featuring 750 slot machines and 40 live-dealer table games.
Among the four satellite casinos in Pennsylvania, Live! Pittsburgh stands out as the top revenue earner, achieving over $116.2 million in gross gaming revenue in 2024, with $101.7 million sourced from slot play alone.
Category 4 casinos have restrictions of 750 slots and 40 tables. These venues can also include retail sportsbooks, but Live! Pittsburgh promotes its in-person patrons to utilize the Live! online FanDuel Sportsbook.
Located within the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, Westmoreland County has Greensburg as its county seat, roughly 20 air miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s second-largest city.
Advantages of the Proposed Convention Center
Westmoreland County has not had a convention center or a dedicated meeting venue since the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Hempfield closed down in 2015. Typically, state and locally-owned convention centers have been viewed as drivers of regional economic engagement; however, perspectives have shifted in recent times.
According to Robin Hunden, a consultant specializing in destination real estate, many of the 175 major convention centers in the U.S. are operating at a financial deficit. The vast venues, which incur million-dollar maintenance costs annually, are struggling to attract a decreasing number of significant events, she remarked.
The US Travel Association reported that MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) activities generated around $119 billion in economic activity in 2023. This reflects a notable decrease of 14%, or $20 billion, compared to 2019, when conventions were expected to generate $139 billion in economic activity.
While large conventions and their planning activities were sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is on the path to recovery. Nevertheless, even in prominent markets such as Las Vegas, convention attendance dropped to under six million last year — down 10% from 2019.