Fair Grounds Expects to Open Slot Casino Soon

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Fair Grounds Race Course enters a new era with the opening of a temporary slot-machine gaming facility at 10 a.m. Sept. 21, Fair Grounds President Randall Soth announced today.

The
  opening is subject to the approval of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

Fair Grounds will be the first racetrack owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated to offer slot-machine gaming, but the last of four tracks in Louisiana.

A ceremonial ribbon cutting will precede the public opening. After the opening, hours for the temporary facility will be 9 a.m.-midnight Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-midnight on Sunday.

The temporary facility is located on the first floor of the building adjacent to the grandstand that was previously used for year-round simulcasting. It will house up to 250 of the most popular reel and video products on the slot-machine market.

The slot mix includes penny, two-cent, nickel, quarter and dollar games. Also on the floor are a number of stand-alone, in-house, and wide-area progressive slot machines, including the popular "Wheel of Fortune" game boasting life-changing jackpots.

Patrons should enter and exit Fair Grounds through the main gates on Gentilly Boulevard. Because staging for construction of the permanent facility has begun, vehicular traffic will be directed along the southern-most side of the property to reach both the temporary facility and the simulcasting area, located on the west side of the grandstand. Bicycle and foot traffic will be directed to the apron between the grandstand and the racetrack.

The permanent facility, which will house up to 700 machines, will be located adjacent to the east end of the grandstand. It has a targeted opening of November 2008.