Our View

Our View

Southland expansion a big boon for community

Ever since Arkansas voters gave a thumbs up to fullblown casino gaming in November they opened the doors for Southland Gaming and Racing, Oaklawn Racing and Gaming in Hot Springs to move forward with massive expansion plans.

The announcement that Southland Gaming and Racing owners plan to begin construction on a massive $250 million expansion that will include 2,400 gambling machines and up to 60 live table games, is enormous economic news.

As we’re told are plans to build a 20-story hotel tower featuring 216 standard rooms, 72 corner suites and topped off with 12 penthouse suits. We’re also told there will be a convention center.

Bear in mind folks, this is a completely privately funded project with absolutely no special deals or special incentives from state government, although West Memphis, Crittenden County and state politicians will certainly welcome with their pockets opened wide the enormous amount of additional tax dollars generated from this new 113,000 square foot casino complex.

We’re talking about 400 additional permanent and well paying jobs being created with this major development.

And, let’s not fail to mention that during the construction period there will be an additional 1,500 new jobs, according to Glen White, a spokesman for Delaware North, which has owned and operated the 63-year-old greyhound racing venue since the mid-1970s.

Let’s also all remember that Delaware North owners pumped in $11 million in 2012, followed by an additional $37.4 million expansion in 2014.

It has been made very evident that Delaware North owners have been committed to Southland for many, many years, investing more than $100 million of their own money in the venue since 2006.

As we’ve said time and time again, Southland has been the preverbal “Goose that laid the golden egg” contributing millions upon millions of dollars to the West Memphis coffers as well as to the state. And let’s not forget that Southland owner’s generosity has pumped in millions of dollars to charitable causes include the youth clubs in West Memphis. Even ASU-Mid South has financially benefited and money from Southland paid for expensive Skycop cameras at every West Memphis school.

We’re sure this massive investment, said to represent the largest ever in a casino in Arkansas and one of the largest for a hospitality project, has put wide smiles on the faces of local politicians knowing all this extra revenue that will be flowing into their coffers will pay for their promises pay city worker raises, new city vehicles, employee bonuses and much more.

Looking at the bigger picture, when completed and in full operation, Southland will be attract thousands of visitors, conventioneers and tourists, all of whom will be patronizing our local motels, restaurants and hopefully more retailers seeing the opportunity to invest here.

We should all be excited with what Delaware North owners are doing and the enormous positive impact this expansion will have on our city, county and state.

After all. Southland Gaming and Racing is one of Arkansas’ biggest tourist attractions and is a major economic gold mine that even Gov. Asa Hutchinson should embrace with open arms.