The Arkansas Voters Referendum approved the motion allowing for Southland Park and Oaklawn Racetracks to add electronic ‘games of skill’, as stated in the 2005 law. Blackjack and video poker are among the new casino games Southland and Oaklawn will be offering this fall.
Oaklawn spokesman, Terry Wallace, said that the horse racing track was working on a proposal to be submitted to the commission by its next meeting. Southland has been open with the matter, planning to have up to 125 games by the end of the year, while Oaklawn is still carefully considering it and has not decided which games to install yet.
Being more honest about the project, Southland states that they will have 900 slots operating by November 1, 2006. One of the most requested games is blackjack, considered an “electronic game of skill”.
Southland’s plan is to install the 900 gaming machines in a 30,000 sq ft gaming area. $40 million would anchor their improvements to the 50-year-old dog park. The improvements at Southland will be open to the public by October and by November 1, 2006 a grand opening will be held.
January 30, 2007
