Southland Park announces $37 million casino expansion

Southland Park Racing and Gaming, the West Memphis greyhound race track that now makes its big money from casino gambling,has announced a $37 million expansion and remodeling.

The work includes a new exterior, entrance and parking. Also planned is a 41,000-square-foot building with room for 500 slot machines, which will bring the total capacity of gambling machines to 1,950, plus a new restaurant and sports bar. It's the second expansion since 2012.

The track's release follows:

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (January 16, 2014) Southland Park Gaming & Racing today announced a $37.4 million project planned for 2014 to once again expand its gaming and hospitality amenities, plus redesign and enhance the venues exterior, main drive and south entrance.

The key component is the construction of a 41,000-square-foot building addition to house up to 500 new gaming machines which will bring Southland Parks total capacity to more than 1,950 games and a 150-seat themed restaurant and sports bar. Upon completion of the expansion, Southland plans to have more than 1,700 games featured on the gaming floor.

The current buildings exterior will be reskinned so that both it and the addition appear as one seamless complex. The exterior will feature new walls with improved signage and LED lighting, as well as improved disability access and parking. The southeast entrance from North Ingram Boulevard will be redesigned, and a new main drive created to a new porte-cochere and entrance of the venue. This will also create space for an expanded valet parking program. A new loading dock on the east side of the complex will also be constructed.

Southland Park is planning a ground breaking ceremony on January 27, 2014 and anticipates completing the expansion by the end of 2014.

Our business keeps growing, so we want to continue the expansion and transformation of Southland Park into the unquestioned premiere gaming destination in the Mid-South, said Troy Keeping, Southland Parks president and general manager. This project will provide our guests with more space and allow us to add more of the best gaming machines on the market and another popular restaurant and entertainment spot within our complex.

The project will mark the second major expansion and renovation project since 2012 for the increasingly popular regional entertainment destination in West Memphis, Ark., about 10 miles from Memphis, Tenn. Southland Park completed a $11 million renovation and expansion project in 2012 that added 200 gaming machines, a larger event center, kitchen and serving space for the World Market Buffet, and the new Shine Blounge.

In addition, Southland Park this summer relocated some of its office space in the complex to accommodate an addition of 50 gaming machines on the gaming floor; that gaming expansion will be complete in mid-December of this year. It also recently completed renovations to the popular Juke Joint entertainment venue by adding a new bar and well featuring a walk-up service window that allows guests to order drinks directly from the gaming floor, new carpeting throughout the room, a new elevated seating area, a new dance floor, larger performance stage and a public-accessible restroom.

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Southland Park announces $37 million casino expansion