Apr 13, 2019 4 min read

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By Katie Green

Photo by Mark Marietta

Tony Frabbiele has only been at the helm of The Meadows Casino Racetrack Hotel for a few months, but he’s no stranger to the gaming world. In fact, it’s in his blood.

“I was born and raised in Las Vegas and my father was in gaming, my grandfather was in gaming – he opened the Stardust in 1958,” Frabbiele says.

Though Frabbiele’s roots are in Nevada, the generations before hailed from the New Orleans area. “When gaming started to deregulate across the U.S., it opened up more opportunity for my dad to take the family back to where the roots were,” he says. “So I got my start there and just loved the business and the excitement of it. There’s always something different – it never felt like any day was the same.”

Frabbiele’s resume is indeed impressive: The Meadows is his 10th casino. He’s been all over the country – Louisiana, California and New Jersey, for example – in various food and beverage, non-gaming operations and management roles. Most recently, he was the general manager at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Ohio. When The Meadows’ current owner, Penn National Gaming, purchased Pinnacle Entertainment and with it The Meadows, Frabbiele and The Meadows’ previous GM, Allie Evangelista, switched properties.

And with his background, when he speaks as to what sets The Meadows apart from other casinos, near and far, you know that he’s serious about what he’s saying.

“There are a few ways that we set ourselves apart. One is in the amenities that we offer – being a Class 1 gaming operation, we have the horses, which our local competitors don’t have. So if you’re looking for the simulcast component, that gives us an advantage over The Rivers Casino (in Pittsburgh),” he notes. “Also, with our My Choice network, which expands across 41 properties throughout the Penn National Gaming network – our competitors can’t be on par with us. We have access to Las Vegas and major destination markets like New Orleans. We have the ability to offer more things to our customers that our competitors can’t match on a dollar for dollar basis.”

Frabbiele, who is married and has three children, ages 22, 4 and 2, is settling right into Western Pennsylvania and his new role. He says the people are what make both The Meadows and the region it calls home special. “The Washington County commissioners that I’ve met with are amazing; they’re very welcoming. The community itself has been very welcoming, so have the employees here,” he says. “When I walk the property and talk to so many team members who have been here since before the casino was built, when it was just a race track, it shows the commitment that not only the community, but the people that work here have to the property and the pride they take in it. It’s special to be a part of that.”

The Meadows will continue to offer more than just gaming under Frabbiele’s leadership. “Kevin (Brogan) and the marketing team have really done a great job at putting together a phenomenal entertainment calendar for us this year,” Frabbiele says. “Entertainment really gives us something that diversifies our offerings back out to the customers – it gives us that marketing arm to introduce our business to them and I think if people have the opportunity to come out and see a headlining entertainer, experience our food and beverage offerings with The Carvery and Bistecca, and see our bowling alley, which is a very successful part of our business, they will find that not only are we a gaming destination, we are a full entertainment destination.”

And while the revenues are outstanding, Frabbiele sees an opportunity to enhance product offerings for the customers, such as the slot machines. He says that a big focus for him this year is to introduce newer products on the floor.

“At Penn, we think that having a new slot product offering and the best product is something that we can use to our advantage. We try and take those opportunities as they come about.”

Of course, there are other things in the works that he can’t yet speak on, and that bodes well for The Meadows and the community. It will be exciting to learn and experience what’s to come.