It’s been six long years since the Browns beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh — and no smart sports bettor would put his cash on Cleveland next weekend.

So save your money for a new place to gamble — say, the stunning new casino on Pittsburgh’s North Side. But you’ll have to battle Steelers traffic to get there.

The new Rivers Casino occupies an amazing piece of real estate along the Ohio River, right next to Heinz Field, where the Steelers and Browns kick off at 1 p.m. Oct. 18.

The casino, which launched in August, is the ninth to open in Pennsylvania since the legislature legalized such gambling in 2004.

The 400,000-square-foot hall features 3,000 slot machines and, if you can pull yourself away from the games, spectacular views of downtown Pittsburgh across the river.

One thing this casino doesn’t have: table games, though perhaps not for long. The Pennsylvania legislature voted last week to allow the state’s casinos to add poker, craps, roulette and other table games in an effort to close a $1 billion budget gap. The games should be up and running in Pittsburgh within six months, according to George Matta, director of business development and community relations for Rivers.

For those who can’t wait, the casino offers several virtual table games — poker, roulette and blackjack — featuring on-screen animated dealers and up to five live players who sit in a semicircle and advise their electronic leader whether they’ll stand or take another card.
A great lineup of attractions
Located on the western edge of Pittsburgh’s eclectic North Side neighborhood, Rivers is close to the football stadium, the baseball stadium, the Carnegie Science Center and the Andy Warhol Museum, as well as several other attractions and dozens of places to eat and party.

But, of course, the casino doesn’t really want you to leave.

The casino offers four restaurants on-site, including fine-dining Andrew’s, named in honor of Pittsburgh’s threesome of famous sons (Carnegie, Mellon, Warhol) and featuring $12 cocktails and $38 steaks. The restaurant is oriented south, offering terrific riverfront views, both inside and out.

The Grand View Buffet, a floor above, offers seven stations of freshly prepared food served alongside those same stunning waterfront views — a nice touch given most casinos’ interest in keeping customers in the dark, both literally and figuratively, about the outside world.

To soak up the views without buying a meal, head to the Drum Bar, adjacent to Andrew’s, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. You’ll have to buy your booze, though there are several self-service stations set up throughout the casino offering free coffee and soda.

A sports bar, the Wheelhouse, is expected to open next month, and a ballroom/theater should be finished by the end of 2010, according to Matta. Long-term plans call for the construction of an adjacent hotel, as well.

There’s also a gift shop, with the usual jewelry and knickknacks designed to appeal to gamblers who hit it big, plus an entire section devoted to Steelers gear — just in case anyone has forgotten who the hometown team is.

Despite its curb appeal and a strong draw after it opened, the Rivers Casino has posted disappointing revenue numbers in recent weeks. It was the poorest-performing Pennsylvania casino during the last full week of September, according to Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board.

Casino officials blame the poor numbers in part on the hoopla surrounding the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh last month, when streets and schools were closed and many residents stayed away from downtown.

It’s also not the easiest place to get to, especially for out-of-town drivers not familiar with the curvy and narrow streets of Pittsburgh.

Despite the slow start, casino spokesman Dan Fee expects the casino will meet its projected revenue figures for the year. He also expects revenue to improve as the casino launches additional gambling promotions and bus traffic increases.

In the meantime, football fans can score a cheap place to park next Sunday by using the casino’s parking garage. Members of the Rivers Edge Players Club can park free anytime in the adjacent garage; just sign up for the program online (theriverscasino.com), pick up your card inside the casino and spend what Matta called a “minimal” amount in the machines.

Just make sure you get there early enough to snag one of its more than 3,000 spaces. (Come early and enjoy the Grand View’s Sunday brunch, served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for $26).

You can use the money you’d spend on parking to test your luck in a slot machine. Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot. Maybe the Browns will win.

The odds are against it, but you never know.