Mountaineer Casino In West Virginia
| Location | New Cumberland, West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Vici Properties |
| Operated by | Century Casinos |
| Date opened | May 19, 1951 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Notable races | West Virginia Derby |
| Official website | |
My one-night visit to the Mountaineer Casino and Racetrack Resort, New Cumberland, West Virginia, September 2019. Two things I forgot to mention in the video. Mountaineer Casino: Stay away.Mountaineer is bad news! - See 296 traveler reviews, 9 candid photos, and great deals for New Cumberland, WV, at Tripadvisor.
Waterford Park | |
| Location | WV 2, |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°34′49″N80°39′42″W / 40.58028°N 80.66167°WCoordinates: 40°34′49″N80°39′42″W / 40.58028°N 80.66167°W |
| Area | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| Built | 1949 |
| Architect | Boyle, A.J. |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001528[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 12, 2002 |
Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort is a thoroughbred racetrack and casino resort located on the Ohio River north of New Cumberland, West Virginia. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Century Casinos. It is notable for being the first race track in the United States to get slot machines and become a racino.
History and information[edit]
Originally to be known as Waterford Downs, the track's parent company was incorporated in 1937.[2] The effort was led by Al Boyle, president of the Charles Town Races, who named it after his family's ancestral home of Waterford, Ireland.[3] The company's initial public offering was approved in February 1939, with the track expected to open the following September.[4] By August 1940, construction had not begun, but 250 acres of land had been bought or optioned.[5] In 1942, Boyle planned to begin construction of the track, but expected the grandstand to be delayed at least until 1943 by a steel shortage due to World War II.[6]
Construction was finally underway by July 1948, with opening scheduled for September 1949.[7] The name was changed to Waterford Park in 1950.[8] Opening day was finally held on May 19, 1951.[9][10]
In the mid-1950s, Boyle sold the track to James F. Edwards.[11] The Ogden Corporation acquired Edwards's holdings, including Waterford Park, in 1969.[12]
The track was purchased by Bill Blair and renamed as Mountaineer Park in 1987.[13] In 1992, Blair sold the track to California-based Excalibur Holding Co. for $4 million cash plus $2.7 million in stock.[14] The track was authorized to have slot machines and installed them in 1994. Excalibur was renamed Winners Entertainment, then renamed MTR Gaming Group.[15]
Mountaineer added casino table games on December 20, 2007, with 50 tables, including blackjack, three card poker, and roulette.
In 2019, Eldorado Resorts (which had merged with MTR Gaming in 2014) sold Mountaineer, along with two other properties, to Century Casinos and Vici Properties.[16] Century bought Mountaineer's operating business for $30 million, [17] while Vici bought the land and buildings for $97 million and leased them to Century.[18]
Physical attributes[edit]
The track has a main dirt track with a one-mile oval. The turf course is seven furlongs long and inside the dirt. The track is curved slightly in the front stretch. The track also has a large casino and resort on site.
The casino has 3,200 slot machines.
Racing[edit]
Mountaineer was one of the busiest Thoroughbred courses in the country with as many as 217 racing dates scheduled in year 2012. The Mountaineer live racing season had consisted of 4 to 5 nights per week, starting as early as March and ending as late as December. This had been reduced to 130 racing dates, running May through November by 2019 [19] The track had been able to offer purses much higher than those in neighboring states and attracted larger field and the products of such a higher parimutuel handle and better attendance. Over the past decade, competition from surrounding states increased, and purses have reduced. Mountaineer hosts the West Virginia Derby, a Grade III race that had significantly grown in stature and purse in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s to a Grade II race, but has also had its purse reduced and reverted to a Grade III race in recent years. The first Saturday in August traditionally has been the day the Derby takes place, and is the only day of the calendar that the track offers afternoon racing. Otherwise, the races are run at 7pm. Mountaineer had previously been considered as a possible host for the 2009 Breeders' Cup, but it was awarded to Santa Anita.[20]
The track runs many stakes and overnight handicaps. Here, in order, are the stakes that ran at Mountaineer in 2005:
Graded events[edit]
The following Graded events were held at Mountaineer Racetrack in 2019.
Mountaineer Casino
Grade III
Stakes events[edit]
- Coca-Cola Independence Day Stakes
- Mountain State Stakes
- Harvey Arneault Memorial Breeders' Cup Stakes
- West Virginia Senate President's Breeders' Cup
- West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup
- West Virginia Legislature Chairman's Cup
- West Virginia Secretary of State
- Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes
- Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies Stakes
- Fall Stakes
- Autumn Leaves Stakes
- Mountaineer Mile Handicap
- Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Mountaineer Casino In Newell West Virginia
- ^'National Register Information System'. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^'New race track given state O.K.'. Washington Post. October 10, 1937. ProQuest150879574. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^Bill Bennings (December 4, 1938). 'At the Post'. Washington Post. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^'New West Va. track sanctioned by SEC'. Washington Post. February 17, 1939. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^'$500,000 race track work is set to begin this month'. Youngstown Vindicator. August 4, 1940.
- ^'Tract bought for race plant'. Youngstown Vindicator. January 2, 1942.
- ^Walter Haight (July 26, 1948). 'Night flat racing not new in Md'. Washington Post. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^'Potpourri'. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 28, 1950.
- ^'Bill Bennings'. Washington Post. May 18, 1951. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^'Tamale first at new track'. New York Times. May 20, 1951. – via ProQuest (subscription required)
- ^Tony Pierro (June 2, 1997). 'Mountaineer Race Track a runaway success'. State Journal. Charleston, WV. – via Factiva (subscription required)
- ^'Owner Of Waterford selling out'. Beaver County Times. January 17, 1969.
- ^Stephen Babich (June 30, 1987). 'New name, new bets at track'. Pittsburgh Press.
- ^'Sale of Mountaineer Park will stand'. Williamson Daily News. AP. December 1, 1992.
- ^MTR Gaming Group Company Profile
- ^Bailey Schulz (December 6, 2019). 'Eldorado Resorts closes 3 property sales for $385M'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^'Equity Purchase Agreement'. Century Casinos. June 17, 2019. Schedule I – via EDGAR.
- ^'Real Estate Purchase Agreement'. Vici Properties. June 17, 2019. p. 5 – via EDGAR.
- ^https://www.playwv.com/wv-2019-horse-racing/
- ^'09 Breeders' Cup to be held at Santa Anita
External links[edit]
The Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort has been sold. That was the news that came out of the WV Lottery Commission meeting on Wednesday.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the sale of Mountaineer, according to WV Metro News. Previous owner, Eldorado Resorts, is selling the Mountaineer to Century Casinos as part of a $107 million deal.
The deal brings a new player to the WV casino market, which features five casinos around the state. Century specializes in medium-sized properties and the Mountaineer fits in that regard.
WV Lottery director John Myerscommented on the sale and the new owners.
“I think that’s been the way they’ve been able to grow their company. They don’t try to take on too big of a property, they take on the size they are used to managing and they can apply the same principles across all those properties.”
A quick look at the Century-Eldorado deal
The sale comes after months of rumors that Mountaineer was going to be sold in order to make a merger between Eldorado and Caesars Entertainment more attractive to regulators. In recent months, both companies have shed properties as they finalize the $7.2 billion deal.
Century has also purchased two Eldorado casino properties in Missouri as part of the acquisition. Caesars also announced earlier this week that it was selling the Rio in Las Vegas, home to the World Series of Poker.
The Mountaineer sale is expected to close in early 2020. Century inherits a horse track and 357-room hotel. The property’s casino also includes 1,486 slot machines, a poker room, and 36 tables games.
Century CEOs Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger also spoke about the sale in a news release.
“We are very excited to be expanding into West Virginia. Mountaineer is a great addition to our portfolio and will be our third racetrack and casino property. We look forward to working with the staff and community to continue the current success at Mountaineer into the future.”
Sports betting launched the state in 2018 and Mountaineer also hosts a popular retail sportsbook operated by William Hill. However, the property doesn’t yet offer a William Hill branded mobile sports betting app. through its betting partner.
That could change, however, and the deal offers Century an opportunity to get in the mobile sports betting business. William Hill is one of a handful of mobile betting operators who have have been approved to offer online sports betting in West Virginia.
The company believes Mountaineer fits well with its track and casino assets.
What is Century Casinos and what are its plans?
Century Casinos is based in Colorado and was founded in 1992. The company has plenty of experience in the industry.
It operates several casinos in Colorado and Alberta, Canada, where it also owns two racetracks.The company also owns one casino in the UK, has a majority interest in a casino in Poland, and also manages casinos on several cruise ships.
Most Mountaineer employees are expected to be retained after the deal finalizes.
Century officials have indicated they may have expansion plans for the WV casino. The company also hopes to be more competitive with properties in neighboring states.
That includes casinos in the Pittsburgh area to the east and Ohio casinos to the north and west. The Wheeling Island casino and racetrack is also only about 40 miles to the south.
Haitzmann spoke of the property’s potential for growth.
“Mountaineer used to be larger and with all the real estate available we see an upside and the possibility to grow further. Mountaineer is profitable now, you may say, in spite of the competition. I think it’s a healthy competition for the customers and think we’re well-equipped to get our fair share of the market.”