Racinos

Racinos Racinos are horse or greyhound race tracks which have casinos. In some cases, the casino games are limited to slot machines or video lottery terminals (VLTs) only. However, many locations are beginning to include table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. Eleven US states have already approved the operation of racinos. These states are enjoying the benefits of enhanced state tax revenues, a stronger horse and agriculture industry, and the creation of new jobs and investment. The following is a list of US states that allowed the operation of racinos: Delaware Florida Iowa Louisiana Maine New Mexico New York Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island West Virginia Other US states considering legislation for the operation of racinos include: Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maryland New Hampshire Texas In Canada, racinos are allowed in: Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Ontario Prince Edward Island In December 1998, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) opened Ontario's first slot machine facility at Windsor Raceway. OLGC now operates 16 slot machine facilities at racetracks all over Ontario. Brief History of Racinos In 1990, West Virginia pioneered the racino concept when MTR Gaming Group was allowed to introduce video lottery terminals (VLTs) to Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester. In 1994, Iowa voters authorized reel spinning slot machines at Iowa horse and greyhound race tracks. Polk County, the owner of the brand new but bankrupt horse track, Prairie Meadows, spent $26 million to convert track's clubhouse into a casino and installed 1,100 slot machines. The racino opened for business on April 1, 1995. Reel-spinning slots proved to be much more popular than video poker. After 12 months, slot machine revenues totaled $119.3 million, enabling Polk County to pay off the $27 million bond issue that paid for the clubhouse casino conversion and retire the track's initial $38.8 million bond issue 17 years early. With Prairie Meadows, the racino concept came of age. The rapid transformation of a struggling Iowa horse track into a highly profitable horse racing/slot gaming business was the defining moment in the marriage of pari-mutuel betting and machine gaming. From 1995 to 1997, Iowa became America's fastest-growing thoroughbred breeding state, jumping from 28th to 12th nationally in total foals bred. The annual spending for the care and maintenance of horses increased from $41 million in 1995 to $97 million in 1999 according to Iowa State University. The creation of racinos led to a consolidation of ownership of race tracks, with Magna Entertainment Corporation and Churchill Downs Incorporated being the largest. Place a bet on your favorite horse now. Racinos.com is your comprehensive guide to North American racinos. We also provide valuable information on horse racing, poker, casino gambling and sports betting. © 2006 Racinos.com   Sponsored LinksPlay Blackjack NowTouchdown FrenzyDownload Free Poker Software   LIST OF RACINOS AQUEDUCT RACETRACKASSINIBOIA DOWNSBANGOR RACEWAYBATAVIA DOWNSBLUE RIBBON DOWNSCLINTON RACEWAYDELAWARE PARKDELTA DOWNSDOVER DOWNSDOWNS AT ALBUQUERQUEDRESDEN RACEWAYEVANGELINE DOWNSFINGER LAKESFLAMBORO DOWNSFORT ERIE RACETRACKFRASER DOWNSGEORGIAN DOWNSGRAND RIVER RACEWAYHANOVER RACEWAYHARRINGTON RACEWAYHIAWATHA HORSE PARKHOLLYWOOD PARKKAWARTHA DOWNSLOUISIANA DOWNSMOHAWK RACETRACKMONTICELLO RACEWAYMOUNTAINEER RACETRACKNORTHLANDS PARKPOCONO DOWNSPRAIRIE MEADOWSREMINGTON PARKRIDEAU CARLETONRUIDOSO DOWNSSARATOGA RACEWAYSUDBURY DOWNSSUNLAND PARKWESTERN FAIR RACEWAYWHEELING ISLANDWINDSOR RACEWAYWOODBINE RACETRACKWOODSTOCK RACEWAYYONKERS RACEWAYZIA PARK RACE TRACK