Hollywood Casino Opens at Kansas Speedway

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

The green flag was waved at Kansas Speedway as the Hollywood Casino opened its doors. The new casino was developed and will be operated by Kansas Entertainment LLC, a 50/50 joint venture of Penn Hollywood Kansas Inc., a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming Inc. and Kansas Speedway Development Corporation.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was officiated by Penn National Gaming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Peter M. Carlino, and International Speedway Corporation CEO, Lesa France Kennedy. Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., Joe Reardon, a representative from Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s office, NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne and other officials were also present.

As previously reported the $411 million project was developed by Turner Construction Company and apart from the estimated 1,700 construction jobs it has also created over 1,000 new full time casino jobs. Over 4 million guests are expected to visit the Hollywood Casino annually and the total annual estimated economic benefit of the casino stands at $220 million.

With 100,000 square feet of gaming, 2,000 slot machines, 52 live table games, various dining options including the 164-seat Marquee Cafe and 176-seat Turn Two Lounge, this could be just the beginning. The Kansas City Business Journal reports that the casino’s next phase could include a hotel and later phases could bring more gambling space, a convention center and even a retail district. The total value of the project could exceed $700 million.

The casino is located on Turn Two of the Kansas Speedway, adjacent to The Legends Outlets Kansas City at Village West.

Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities. The company currently operates 26 facilities with over 1.2 million square feet of gaming floor space and is currently developing casinos in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio.