Churchill Downs announces plans for new USD 60 M facility

Churchill Downs has begun the construction of a USD 60 million state-of-the-art gambling facility that is expected to open around September 2018. It will feature two quick-service restaurants, a 50-seat bar, large televisions and 600 historic racing machines, and it will employ 200 new full- and part-time employees and create 250 construction jobs.

“Bringing historical racing to Louisville is critical to keeping the Kentucky racing circuit competitive through larger purses and greater incentives for owners, breeders and trainers,” Churchill Downs Racetrack president Kevin Flanery said in a statement.

Flanery told reporters after that Churchill Downs expects a double-digit growth in its purse structure, which will allow the company to attract new trainers and offer incentives for breeders to come to Kentucky.

The games will be fueled by historical races and played on “machines that they will find very familiar,” Flanery said. Players won’t know what historical race they are watching until it concludes. That and the number of races that Churchill Downs has access to will keep people from being able to look up race results on their phones.

There is currently a case in the state court system challenging the legality of historical horse racing. The case is as yet unresolved, but Flanery said he and other Churchill Downs leaders are not concerned.

“We know we have to take a leap of faith, but we’ve done our homework. We think this is something people will really enjoy,” he said. “We’ve invested in this community. We’ve got $120 million worth of construction going on” in Louisville.

The goal of the facility and other investments is to help bolster the horse racing industry in the state, which is in a fierce competition with other industries for entertainment dollars.

“At this time, historical racing is the most effective way to supplement purses and rebuild the Kentucky racing circuit to keep us competitive with other states,” Kentucky Horse Racing Commission member and longtime horse owner Dr. David Richardson said in a statement.

Churchill Downs has made a number of big announcements in the past year.

In March, the company relocated its mobile betting subsidiary, TwinSpires, and more than 70 technology-focused jobs to Louisville from Southern California. In September, Churchill Downs said that it would partner with Keeneland to open and operate two Thoroughbred racetracks and gambling parlors in Kentucky.

And most recently in November, the company announced that it would spend $32 million to upgrade the transportation infrastructure around the racetrack, including larger bus depots, a pedestrian plaza, enlarged paddock entrance and outdoor LED lighting.