Racino Shows Press What Patrons Will See Next Week
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio -- Constructing the Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course was not “smooth sailing all the time,” general manager Mike Galle concedes. “Anytime you’re in construction sometimes timelines get delayed.”
But even with those “bumps in the road,” Turner Construction Co., Cleveland, construction manager for the racino project, and laborers “did a great job” of finishing the 100,000-square-foot project ahead of schedule, allowing an earlier opening date than the planned October start, he said.
When patrons enter the 1930s art deco style building they will see “the glitz and glamor of Hollywood,” Galle said. Hollywood Gaming officially opens to the public at noon Sept. 17 with 850 video lottery terminals, simulcast racing and several dining options. Yesterday, a week away from that opening date, the new Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course remained a hive of activity. “We’re still doing a lot of finish work on the property,” he said.
Technicians could be seen working on the banks of video lottery terminals that filled the gaming floor and flat-screen televisions that hung from the walls as skilled tradesmen put the finishing touches on the building itself, from the H Lounge, which will feature live entertainment and projection screens on the walls to the three-outlet food court and Skybox Sports Bar. From inside the grandstand, visitors could see work proceed on the one-mile thoroughbred track and adjacent paddock.
Dozens of the racino’s more than 400 employees -- more than 90% of whom Galle said were hired locally – were completing their final days of training ahead of this weekend’s early registration for the racino’s customer rewards cards and next week’s opening day. And local first responders toured the building as reporters received the final media preview.
Themes featured on the VLTs span interests. They include the game show Wheel of Fortune, Monopoly and Yahtzee, pop culture icons such as Dolly Parton and the film The Wizard of Oz, and characters from myth (Zeus), literature (Tarzan) and even children’s stories (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland). Patrons can wager anywhere from a penny to $100 on the VLTs, and themes on the devices can be switched at any time, Galle said.
The racino can accommodate up to 1,500 VLTs but any additions won’t take place for at least two months, he said.
The media tour kicked off with Mark Munroe, a member of the Ohio State Racing Commission, presenting the permit allowing Penn National Gaming Inc. to conduct horse races there.
“The racing commission is very excited about this. It’s what we had some discussion about the preceding 12 months,” Munroe said. Penn National and the commission sparred for several months over the number of seats for direct viewing of the thoroughbred track and the number of stalls at the track.
Racing for this year’s abbreviated season begins Nov. 24, although simulcast racing and wagering will be available along with VLT play when Hollywood Gaming opens next week.
Live racing will begin at about 12:45 p.m. and run through about 4 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays and Saturdays, reports Mark Loewe, vice president of Ohio racing operations for Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National. With the consent of the racing commission and the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Penn National has a 10-year agreement to offer live racing 100 days and 25 weeks each year, on a split January-April and October-December season.
“There’s no question the weather may present some challenges,” Loewe remarked, but Penn National carefully selected the materials for the track to take that into account. “The horsemen are a pretty hearty group. We race in Pennsylvania at night in the winter. We race in Charleston at night in the winter. We’ll be able to put on competitive racing and high-quality racing,” he said.
Loewe expects many of the horses and jockeys to come from Ohio but also from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and there have been inquiries from Illinois and Michigan. “Ohio horsemen have fought long and hard for gaming and improved purses and we certainly want to give them an opportunity to race as much as they can, but we’re not closing the borders,” he said.
Galle sees guests coming from a 75-mile radius of the property and the majority from within 30 miles. In addition, he expects guests traveling along Interstate 80 to take advantage of the new entertainment option as well as truckers visiting nearby truck stops.
“This is a main corridor,” Galle remarked. A shuttle service will launch shortly after the opening week and bring guests to and from hotels in the immediate vicinity.
Responding to requests on social media, advanced signups will be offered this weekend and Tuesday at Hollywood Gaming for Penn National’s Marquee Rewards card program, which bonuses patrons based on volume of play. Prizes can include meal discounts, free VLT play and stays at other Penn National properties. Signups are noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday and 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
“Everything we’re doing at Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley will be very digital,” said Scott Frost, director of marketing. The racino is in beta test for offering a completely digital marketing program “where we’re going to make a very aggressive attempt at converting customers from direct mail to email,” allowing them to access rewards on their smartphones and other mobile devices or on personal computers at home, he said.
“This allows us to reward them that much quicker, and we think we’ll get much better response rates as well,” Frost said.
Penn National invested $125 million to build the racino exclusive of an additional $125 million in license and relocation fees required by the state. Some 1,000 skilled tradesmen were employed at the construction project, officials said.
Pictured: Mike Galle, general manager of Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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