Penn National Sets Sept. 17 Opening for Racino
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Penn National Gaming Inc. set Sept. 17 as the opening date of the new Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, pending final regulatory approval, the company announced Wednesday.
The grand opening is the first of two Penn National, based in Wyomissing, Pa., will celebrate for the new entertainment venue in Austintown. The second will take place Nov. 24, when thoroughbred racing begins on the new one-mile all-weather racetrack. Once its doors open Sept. 17, Hollywood Gaming will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The $250 million development is on state Route 46 just south of Interstate 80. The casino floor will open with 850 video lottery terminals and a wide variety of dining and entertainment options for patrons. The adjacent racetrack grandstand offers more than 1,000 enclosed seats and a simulcast theater that will allow race fans to wager on races at tracks throughout North America.
“We’re thrilled to be able to set our opening date for this new, state-of-the-art regional destination offering premier gaming, dining, racing and entertainment options,” said Tim Wilmott, president and CEO of Penn National Gaming. “Located at one of the nation’s busiest freeway interchanges at I-80 and Ohio Route 46 in Austintown, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course will provide our guests with a variety of memorable experiences in an exciting, high energy setting.”
With 400 permanent employees, the venue will be a “significant employer in the region,” he continued. “And we believe the facility is already serving as a catalyst for additional economic development in the area and will continue to spur economic growth in the future.”
The racino general manager, Mike Galle, reports the building is nearing completion, its team is being built and large crowds are expected when it opens in just over a month. “We’re already in high gear and look forward to welcoming guests with a unique gaming and entertainment experience for this region,” he said.
“Our opening will also mark the culmination of a project that has enjoyed strong support from the community, from elected officials, from our business partners, from our construction team and from the hundreds of local construction workers and vendors who are building Hollywood Gaming. We’re deeply grateful for their efforts, which have been instrumental in bringing us to this point,” Galle said.
Pictured: Mike Galle, general manager of the new Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, conducts a hard-hat tour July 14.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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