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Officials praise racino opening, reveal opening day numbers
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
Mahoning County commissioners as well as Austintown Township officials praised the Hollywood Gaming facility during meetings Monday and touted numbers from the first week.
Both governments met at the Austintown Senior Center on Westchester Drive and talked about Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, 777 Hollywood Drive, which opened to the public last Wednesday.
Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler said Mike Galle, general manager of Hollywood Gaming, told him more than 27,000 people entered the casino Wednesday, which was its opening day, with more than $5 million having been gambled that day in the casino’s 850 video lottery terminals, or slot machines. Jackpot winnings of $85,000 occurred that first day, officials from the Ohio Lottery Commission have said.
“It was the largest opening of all the racinos in the state of Ohio” in terms of attendance and money gambled, Ditzler said. The Austintown racino was the last of seven casinos and racinos in Ohio to open. It opened with the fewest slot machines of all the Ohio racinos, Ditzler said.
Township trustee Jim Davis echoed the numbers Ditzler gave during the township meeting and said he was at Hollywood Gaming for 20.5 hours opening day. He also said many residents have been asking what’s next for the township. Davis said if trustee Lisa Oles was still pursuing an indoor water park along state Route 46, “If you want [Lisa], I’m with you.”
Ditzler said Galle also told him the racino had ordered dozens of additional slot machines and that the entire downstairs race-viewing area also has been wired for slot machines for potential future expansion.
“I’m sure that water finds its own level, and it’ll taper down in the months ahead, but right now, it’s a great opportunity,” Ditzler said of the racino.
“We had a beautiful opening day. The place was packed. It was standing room only. You could not even move in there. They were three-deep to get to the machines, and, honestly, I really see that place expanding at some point from what I’ve seen so far,” said Commissioner Anthony Traficanti.
Penn National President and Chief Executive Tim Wilmott said at the grand opening that once the market stabilizes here, after three to four years, Penn National would look at possible expansion with amenities available to them at that time. Hollywood Gaming features a walled-in space on the gaming floor that could easily be taken down for quick expansion of 650 machines.
There were no calls to Hollywood Gaming by Austintown Fire officials over the weekend, Fire Chief Andy Frost III said. Chief of Police Robert Gavalier said Austintown officers had to escort a few patrons of the racino off the premises after they had too much to drink, but there were no other incidents besides those. There was one OVI case at the racino Friday night after an accident in the parking lot, according to a township police report.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol left the township Sunday and road cones that had been set up in the roadway of state Route 46 were gone Monday morning. A road sign north of Mahoning Avenue along Route 46 was still in place, directing motorists to drive in the right-hand lane for travelers going to the racino.
Contributor: Reporter Peter H. Milliken