Kansas Awards Historical Horse Racing License to Phil Ruffin for New Wichita Casino
Phil Ruffin, a billionaire from Wichita, Kansas, has been trying to open a casino in his hometown for over 20 years. His dream took a big step forward this week as he was granted the state's only license to operate historical horse racing machines (HHRs) in Sedgwick County.
HHRs function like slot machines but their outcomes are based on past horse races, and are actually pari-mutuel wagering devices. The Kansas Legislature passed a bill last year allowing a single HHR license to be issued by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC).
At first, three bids were submitted for the license, but Boyd Gaming's bid was invalidated since they already run the Kansas Star Casino for the Kansas Lottery. Another bid was withdrawn this week, leaving Ruffin as the sole candidate for the license. During its meeting on Thursday, KRGC officially approved Ruffin for the gaming license.
Transforming Wichita Greyhound Park
With the HHR permit, Ruffin, who also owns Treasure Island and Circus Circus in Las Vegas, and has a 50% stake in the nongaming Trump International Las Vegas, plans to transform his former Wichita Greyhound Park into a casino and country music venue. He wants to spend $128 million to renovate the track, which he closed in August 2007 when voters in Sedgwick County rejected a local referendum allowing electronic gaming machines at the track. The casino will cover three floors of the current grandstands, with a bar and simulcast pari-mutuel facility.
"We'll have restaurants, pizza by the slice, smoothies, and all kinds of great food from our executive chef in Las Vegas, who'll train our staff," said Phil Ruffin Jr., his son and Wichita resident who will oversee the project. "We're about 14 months away [from opening], and I want to be ahead of schedule and under budget. It's a long row to hoe, and we're really looking forward to it."
The casino will be called the Golden Circle and will have around 400 employees. Once the HHR operations start and Ruffin starts generating gaming revenue, he'll consider adding a 110-room hotel.
The initial $128 million investment will also include a country music bar called Gilley's Dance Hall and Saloon. This will be modeled after the famous Texas honky-tonk bar featured in the 1980 John Travolta movie, "Urban Cowboy."
No Plans for Greyhound Racing
Ruffin has no intentions of bringing back greyhound racing to the track that will soon be known as the Golden Circle Casino. Currently, only eight states still allow dog racing, with the others being Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Kansas is one of those eight, but the only active dog racetracks are in West Virginia. The Wichita Greyhound Park hosted live dog racing from its opening in 1989 until its closure in 2007.
Read also:
- Games Industry Research: Carbon Emissions of Top Video Games
- U.S. cities with the most Swifties per capita
- Blackjack Casino Advantage: How to Beat the Odds
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
Source: www.casino.org
