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Racing Commission OKs Dates, Permit for Racino
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio -- Thoroughbred racing will get under way Nov. 24 at new Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course under construction here, reports Penn National Gaming Inc.
The Ohio State Racing Commission approved a racing permit for the racino, under construction off Route 46 in the township, and the 21 racing dates for the remainder of 2014 after an agreement was reached between Penn National and the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association regarding the number of stalls at the site,.
“The chairman of the commission referred to it as the end of a long and interesting ride and I think we would agree with that,” said Penn National spokesman Bob Tenenbaum. “But this is obviously a very significant step forward. We’re very pleased that we now know what our racing dates will be and they’ve been approved. We’re excited to get the facility open and then start racing on Nov. 24.”
The issuance of the racing permit allows Penn National to operate the video lottery terminals at the site. “This is the last regulatory hurdle that had to be overcome before they could go into operation later this year,” said Mark Munroe of Boardman, a commission member.
The agreement between Penn National and the horsemen’s association was reached last month but final documents were not signed before the commission’s previous meeting. “Because that document was not signed, we couldn’t take action on [the permit] last month,” Munroe said.
Penn National is not specifying an opening date for the Austintown Hollywood Gaming other than to say sometime this fall. “We haven’t officially set a date, but we anticipate the VLT facility will be open before” Nov. 24, Tenenbaum said. Construction is proceeding “pretty much on schedule.” Although some outside work was delayed because of the harsh winter, work moved forward on the interior, which was under roof before winter hit.
“They’ve made significant progress and hopefully they’ll soon complete the basic inside work and be able to start more of the finishing work -- carpentry, electric, furnishings, that kind of thing,” Tenenbaum said. The sub-base of the track was completed before the winter weather, enabling the racing surface to be installed “pretty quickly,” he added.
For calendar year 2015, 100 racing dates are expected, and discussions are under way with ThistleDown Racino regarding dates to avoid overlap, Tenenbaum said.
The permit award and confirmation of racing dates follows more than a year of clashes between Penn National and the state racing commission over grandstand seating and the number of horse stalls. The approved plans call for 1,001 seats and 988 permanent stalls.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Munroe mused. “There have been difficult negotiations as is often the case in large projects like this. But because of the extra time we took, Austintown is getting a much better facility than what was proposed initially.”
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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