Topic: Columbus: Scioto Downs Racino

[Columbo]

County OKs Columbus’ annexation of Scioto Downs
Move next step in track’s expansion
By Lucas Sullivan, The Columbus Dispatch
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - 4:36 AM

Franklin County has approved the annexation of Scioto Downs to Columbus, which is needed for a $150 million expansion plan that would add video slot machines to the 208-acre horse-racing track.
 
Commissioners Marilyn Brown and John O’Grady said the annexation will help MTR Gaming Group Inc., owner of the harness-racing track, create a few hundred jobs by adding the slot machines.  Commissioner Paula Brooks was in China and did not attend the meeting.
 
MTR Gaming, based in West Virginia, filed papers last month for an expedited annexation because it wanted to tap into city water and sewer.  Columbus usually requires property owners to annex to get those services.  The track was an island in Hamilton Township surrounded by property within the city limits.

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/12/07/county-oks-columbus-annexation-of-scioto-downs.html

[GCrites80s]

I was by there this morning and it looked like they were already getting ready to run water and sewer lines through the parking lot.

[Columbo]

More about Scioto Downs and its video lottery terminals expansion (aka video slots).  Due to this expansion, Scioto Downs needs a big upgrade to its water and sewer capacity.  Because of this, Scioto Downs is being annexed from Hamilton Township into Columbus, which will allow the racetrack and slots complex to receive Columbus water and sewer services. 

Below is an excerpt from yesterday's Business First article about this and a link to a brief Columbus Dispatch article about Scioto Downs officially applying for video lottery terminals (VLT) from the Ohio Lottery Commission:

Scioto Downs adding jobs, expanding ahead of VLTs
By Jeff Bell, Business First staff reporter
Date: Friday, December 23, 2011, 6:00am EST

Scioto Downs plan to install video lottery terminals is taking shape, with the racetrack’s parent committing to invest at least $150 million at the facility in southern Franklin County.  MTR Gaming Group Inc. applied this month to the Ohio Lottery Commission to operate the VLTs, effectively electronic slot machines. 
(. . .)
MTR Gaming will construct a VLT building separate from the grandstand at Scioto Downs, said Sean Mentel, a Columbus attorney representing the company.  It is expected the two buildings will be connected by a covered walkway.  Site preparation work has started for the project but plans for the building, including its size and features, such as a restaurant, haven’t been finalized, he said.
(. . .)
The VLT facility is projected to add 400 jobs at Scioto Downs, a harness track that employs about 200 workers, Mentel said.  In addition, up to 1,100 workers will be employed during construction.  MTR Gaming has indicated it expects Scioto Downs’ slots facility to open in the second quarter of 2012.

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/12/23/scioto-downs-adding-jobs-expanding.html

Columbus Dispatch: Scioto Downs owner seeks slots - MTR Gaming applies to lottery commission

[Columbo]

Updating the previous posts about Scioto Downs.  There's also a construction photo at the link:

Dispatch: Scioto Downs gets temporary slot-machine license

[Columbo]

The annexation of Scioto Downs into the City of Columbus has been completed.  And the reason for the annexation - construction of a $125 million, 130,000 square foot video lottery terminal building at Scioto Downs - is nearing completion.  Construction of the video lottery terminal (VLT) building is moving very fast.  So fast that, according to Business First, the VLT building is on track to be completed in the second quarter of 2012.  Months before the Hollywood Casino is scheduled to be finished on the city's west side!

Below is an article from Business First about the Scioto Downs annexation and a Business First article about the $125 million VLT building construction.  Also below is a photo of the VLT building under construction.  The VLT building is to the left in the photo, with the existing Scioto Downs facility to the right.



Scioto Downs annexed to Columbus as slots facility nears completion

Scioto Downs racing to open VLT facility

[Columbo]

The annexation of Scioto Downs into the City of Columbus has been completed.  And the reason for the annexation - construction of a $125 million, 130,000 square foot video lottery terminal building at Scioto Downs - is nearing completion.  Construction of the video lottery terminal (VLT) building is moving very fast.  So fast that, according to Business First, the VLT building is on track to be completed in the second quarter of 2012.  Months before the Hollywood Casino is scheduled to be finished on the city's west side!

Below is an article from Business First about the Scioto Downs annexation and a Business First article about the $125 million VLT building construction.  Also below is a photo of the VLT building under construction.  The VLT building is to the left in the photo, with the existing Scioto Downs facility to the right.



Scioto Downs annexed to Columbus as slots facility nears completion

Scioto Downs racing to open VLT facility

Another article about new slot-machine casino facility being built at the Scioto Downs horse racing track.  According to the article, the new horse racing season will begin on May 10.  The first phase of the casino probably will open in early June - with a ribbon-cutting planned for later in the month.  The second phase of the casino, which includes a restaurant and additional machines, will follow in August.

Although Penn National's Hollywood Casino had at least a year's head start on the Scioto Downs casino addition, it looks like the Scioto Downs casino will open months ahead of Hollywood's.  Even though the Scioto Downs facility is 1/3 the size of the Hollywood facility and they didn't need to built some things, like parking lots, it's still an impressively fast construction schedule.

Dispatch: Scioto Downs racing toward casino opening - Scioto Downs is building casino addition, preparing to hire 800 for planned June opening

[ColDayMan]

Scioto Downs ready for gamblers with slots, glitz galore



The flashing lights and colors are there, but instead of whistles and bells and cries of joy, for now visitors to Scioto Downs’ new video lottery terminal are still hearing forklifts and drills and sounds of construction as workers put the finishing touches on the facility.
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The 130,000-square-foot building eventually will a 300-seat buffet area, 100-seat casual dining restaurant and 82-seat sports bar and lounge and, later this summer, another 326 VLTs bringing the total to 2,117.

Full article below:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/05/first-look-scioto-downs-slots-ready.html

Slideshow:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/05/first-look-scioto-downs-slots-ready.html?s=image_gallery

[Columbo]

Scioto Downs video gambling will begin June 1
By Steve Wartenberg, The Columbus Dispatch
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - 1:58 PM

The video gaming machines at Scioto Downs Casino & Racetrack will start spinning and whirling at 2 p.m. June 1, General Manager Troy Buswell has announced.  This will be the first Ohio racetrack to offer video lottery terminals, which offer a wide variety of games of chance played on video screens.
 
The Ohio Lottery issued a video lottery terminal license late Monday afternoon to MTR Gaming Group, Inc., the parent company of Scioto Downs, paving the way for the start of gambling operations.  Scioto Downs will initially have about 1,800 video lottery terminals, with another 300-plus to be added later this summer.

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/05/22/scioto-downs-gambling-machines-go-live-on-June-1.html

UPDATED ARTICLE FROM TODAY"S DISPATCH: ‘Racino’ on track to open next week at Scioto Downs

[Columbo]

More from the Columbus Dispatch about the Scioto Downs Casino that will be opening on Friday, June 1 (2:00PM to be exact).  The $150 million construction project happened very quickly.  According to the general manager in the article, “We did it in five months, and normally it takes 12 to 18 months.”
 
Scioto Downs Casino & Racetrack is the state’s first “racino” — a combination racetrack and electronic-games casino — and the first casino of any sort in Columbus. (The Hollywood Casino Columbus is expected to open this fall.)  And as also noted in the article, "once the doors open, they will remain open 24/7/365."

Dispatch: Into the homestretch - Scioto Downs’ casino rushes to prepare for its planned opening on Friday

[Keith M.]

Isn't Scioto Downs just a wee bit south of city borders? Well, whadda know, on google maps it's well within the borders of the Far South's South Side.

[GCrites80s]

Columbus annexed it recently.

[ColDayMan]

Scioto Downs cleared to welcome gamblers after lawsuit dismissal



Video lottery terminals will start jingling at Scioto Downs June 1 as the owner of Ohio’s first racino places a calculated bet on the staying power of the slots-like machines at horse-racing tracks.

Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming Group Inc. will open the $125 million facility just two days after a Franklin County judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s VLT plan. The lawsuit was filed against the state in October by a group led by the Ohio Roundtable, a public policy group that has fought the expansion of legalized gambling in Ohio.

More below:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2012/06/01/lawsuit-win-clears-scioto-downs-to.html

[ColDayMan]

Scioto Downs opening first VLT facility Friday



Scioto Downs is scheduled to open Ohio's first video lottery terminal this afternoon as the state becomes the 14th in the union to allow the combination of horse racing tracks and slots-like gaming, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The Columbus race track's Chester, W.Va.-based parent company MTR Gaming Group Inc. spent $152 million on the 117,000-square-foot facility, the newspaper reports. It will have more than 1,700 VLTs at its open and about 2,800 parking spaces, the newspaper reports.

More below:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/morning_call/2012/06/scioto-downs-opening-first-vlt.html

[ColDayMan]

Scioto Downs guarantees gamblers have plenty of dining choices



Scioto Downs isn’t just bringing gambling to Central Ohio – it also will have the dining capacity for more than 1,200 in the multiple eateries across the racetrack and casino complex, some operating around the clock.

The facility opens Friday with 1,700 of the more than 2,100 slots-like video lottery terminals jingling and jangling, but gamblers gotta eat too and Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming Group Inc. aims to please.

Full article below:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/06/scioto-downs-guarantees-gamblers-have.html

[Columbo]

Columbus Underground joins in on the previews to the video lottery terminal (aka "racino") addition to Scioto Downs.  Full article and more interior photos at the link below:

CU: Sneak Preview: The New & Improved Scioto Downs

[Columbo]

The new "racino" addition to Scioto Downs opened Friday at 2:00PM.  And the new gambling palace proved to be very popular.  Maybe a bit too popular - as the Dispatch reported that some of the new video lottery terminals (aka video slot machines) froze up due to the volume of users.  Apparently these machines are managed by the Ohio Lottery, which oversees the operation of the Scioto Downs racino and all other future racino operations in the state.

Dispatch: Flurry of activity at Scioto Downs 'racino' locks up some machines

[ColDayMan]

Scioto Downs adding buffet, sports bar, more slots this weekend



The full new Scioto Downs experience will be available starting Saturday. Arrive hungry.

Chester, W.Va.-based MTR Gaming Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTG) on June 1 opened the doors to more than 1,700 video lottery terminals and its first round of dinning and drinking choices, which included a cafe and a lounge. Phase two, toplined with a 278-seat buffet, opens Saturday. The additional 27,000 square feet also include a sports bar and another 300 slots-like VLTs.

Full article below:
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/08/02/scioto-downs-adding-buffet-sports.html

[Columbo]

Dang!  It looks like there's a huge amount of gambling demand in Central Ohio.  Or, as the casino professionals would call it, "gaming demand".   Between the opening day crowd that overwhelmed its VLT machines and yesterday's free $25 play offer that backed up traffic so much that ODOT needed to close off some I-71 and I-270 ramps, Scioto Downs is certainly attracting customers. 

Below is an excerpt from yesterday's online Dispatch report and a link to today's follow-up article:

'Free money' at Scioto Downs causes major traffic snarl
By Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 1:14 PM

A $25 giveaway at the Scioto Downs casino caused a several-mile backup on Rt. 23, I-270 and I-71 this morning, but the traffic has lessened and ramps have reopened, officials said.  The South Side racino was offering $25 in free play between 8 a.m. and noon today in a “Rise & Swipe” promotion, which then was extended to midnight.  The traffic backup was so severe, officials at the Ohio Department of Transportation decided to shut down the ramps leading from I-71 to I-270 east.

Michael Newsom, marketing director for Scioto Downs, said the massive response to the free-play offer was unanticipated.  Executives at the casino with more than 20 years of gaming experience “have never seen a response like this” to a promotion, Newsom said.

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/08/28/racino-promotion-snarls-traffic.html

And today's follow-up story in the Dispatch with a bit more detail: ‘Racino’ freebie jams up highways

[Columbo]

Business First reported that Scioto Downs had $10.16 million in net revenue from video lottery terminals in January, an increase of nearly 3 percent compared to December.  This report coincides with revenue numbers showing that the Scioto Downs Racino is outperforming the nearby Hollywood Casino on a revenue generated per machine basis (slots vs. VLT's).  More about this at the below link:

Business First: Hollywood Casino, Scioto Downs revenue up in January

Hollywood Casino still had more overall revenue as a facility ($18,260,774) vs. Scioto Downs Racino ($10,160,090).  But the $18 million Hollywood revenue came from 3,015 machines and 108 table games, whereas the Scioto Downs revenue came solely from its 2,116 VLT machines.  Not to bad for a less expensive facility built on the quick.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

Monthly Casino Revenue Report from the Ohio Casino Control Commission

Monthy VLT Revenue Report from the Ohio Lottery for the Scioto Downs Racino