Biggest racino jackpot winner from Cortland

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

A jackpot winner of $20,000 highlighted the second day of operations at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.

Joseph Mastello of Cortland won the largest jackpot awarded at the facility so far. Mastello played on a $25 Double Strike video-lottery terminal at 1:42 p.m. Thursday.

After $800 in taxes, he walked away with $19,200, said Madeline Caldwell, spokeswoman for Hollywood Gaming.

Overall, Hollywood Gaming had $85,000 in winnings for patrons from 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday.

The racino had $30,000 in jackpot winnings in only slightly more than four hours into opening Wednesday. At one point, 849 of the 850 VLTs were being played. That last VLT was tied up in a jackpot, Caldwell said Wednesday.

Attendance figures were not known for the first day, but Hollywood Gaming officials were hoping for 5,000 Mahoning Valley patrons for Wednesday’s grand opening. The facility remains open 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The Austintown police and fire departments both had quiet nights as they monitored the grand opening. The only incident the police were involved in was a warning off the property for a female patron. Austintown Fire Chief Andy Frost III said there was one EMS call early Thursday, but it was not serious.

Frost said the department had Lane LifeTrans at the facility for 12 hours Wednesday, noon to midnight, but it was not used. For that reason, it will not have the ambulance out there again.

Frost previously had said an ambulance would be stationed at the racino for big events, such as the grand opening. Austintown Fire Station No. 1 sits less than a mile away from Hollywood Gaming along state Route 46.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol continued to monitor the traffic outside the racino Thursday along with the Ohio Department of Transportation. The patrol has a mobile command post provided to it by the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency outside the racino’s entrance. The patrol will continue to monitor the area through Sunday.

ODOT set up cones and some signs on Route 46. Troopers are placed throughout Route 46 and near Interstate 80 ramps.

“We couldn’t do it without [ODOT],” said Lt. Nakia J. Hendrix, commander of the patrol’s Canfield post.

Hendrix had no accidents to report as of Thursday afternoon. Troopers have direct radio connection to the racino.

“Our goal is to make sure the traffic gets in and out,” Hendrix said.

About 1 p.m. Wednesday, for 20 minutes, the patrol closed off the racino entrance because the parking lot had reached its capacity. Traffic typically gets heavier from 4 to 5 p.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m., Hendrix said.

“Be patient and obey the signage,” Hendrix reminded drivers.