Last week the seventh and final of Ohio’s racinos, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local officials, Penn National Gaming executives and former boxing champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.
The $250 million slots parlor with video lottery terminals, located in Youngstown, is the fourth Hollywood branded casino opened by Penn, whose president and CEO Tim Wilmott noted that it was the second opened in three weeks.
“We’re deeply committed to the state, and to this region and this fact is reflected in the success of our Toledo, Columbus and Dayton facilities. In addition to bringing top-notch entertainment just a 10-minute drive from downtown Youngstown, we’re proud to be creating jobs and tax revenues and contributing to the ongoing economic resurgence of the Mahoning Valley,” Wilmott said. He added, “You wanted us here and you made it happen.”
He predicted that the facility would attract 1 million visitors each year.
The racino’s general manager, Mike Galle told the crowd, “You have made us feel welcome and you have treated us like we are at home and you have really rolled out the red carpet for us.”
This is the first legal gambling establishment ever offered in the Mahoning Valley, which is famous for its illegal casinos, such as the Jungle Inn, a legendary casino of the 1930s and 1940s that including gangsters stationed at gun turrets to discourage rowdy behavior.
The casino is equipped with 850 VLTs. The facility also offers horseracing with a grandstand that seats 1,000. Horseracing will commence November 24. Until then horseracing fans will have to satisfy themselves with simulcast wagering.
Like all “Hollywood” brand casinos, this one features décor from the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”
The facility has a 150-seat sports bar with 20 TV screens showing sports events. It also has an Italian restaurant, a grill and coffee venue. A gift shop offers Hollywood branded items.
It employs 400, 90 percent of them from the immediate area. Many of them have been staying at nearby motels and hotels waiting for the casino to open.
David Kovass, president of the Meander Hospitality Group, told the Vindicator, “I think the horse-racing portion of the racino is going to be the most beneficial. I am not sure that the gaming itself will provide overnight guests because of the regional casinos we have.”
