Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City): Oklahoma's first racetrack casino may open this month

Oklahoma may be less than two weeks away from having its first racetrack casino operation, Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission Executive Director Gordon Hare said Thursday.

The racing commission's regular meeting Thursday should chart the course of on-track electronic gaming. If a decision is not made at the June monthly meeting, there is a good chance tracks will be given the go-ahead during the July 21 meeting.

Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw is the prohibitive favorite to become the first to offer slots. There is a good chance Blue Ribbon Downs and Remington Park will be granted racetrack gaming licenses during the meeting, Hare said.

BRD said it would be offering gaming within five days of receipt of a gaming license, Hare said. Of the three tracks, only Blue Ribbon is talking of immediately opening (a gaming area). Both Remington Park and Blue Ribbon made presentations for gaming licenses at the May meeting, and Will Rogers Downs (in Claremore) is scheduled to have its presentation at the next meeting.

Blue Ribbon officials told the commission of its plans to immediately begin casino wagering, and Remington Park, Hare said, indicated it will wait until the fall.

A lawyer from Magna Entertainment Corp. (which owns Remington) said the track is planning a grand opening for Oct. 28, said Hare. Remington said it wanted to do it right and decided against a temporary facility. He said they said they could have opened in August but were afraid they might have patrons become disenchanted with a temporary site and not come back. He said they have one chance to make a good first impression.

Remington officials said the track has begun a $32 million construction project to add a casino to the existing grandstand and to make other improvements.

The licensing will be granted if a report from Mel Webb, the commission's law enforcement director, is favorable.

The commission will get his report on a background investigation of the gaming at each site, with status reports on security and surveillance, Hare said. It really all depends on what Mel has to say.

Blue Ribbon Downs is owned by the Choctaw Nation and Will Rogers Downs is owned by the Cherokee Nation.

Will Rogers Downs said in its application for a gaming license that it would have gaming within 60 days of licensing, Hare said.

Will Rogers Downs applied for its gaming operator license on June 1. To have a gaming operator license, an applicant must also have an organizational racing license, Hare said. The track applied for a 12- day mixed-breed season from Nov. 5-Dec. 11, and for 2006, Will Rogers Downs applied for 42 days of mixed-breed racing.

Hare said the commission also will hear Webb's report of a visit to Gaming Laboratory International in Lakewood, N.M., an independent testing lab that certifies the games used. Nick Farley and Associates of Solon, Ohio, also has applied for testing.

Those are the only two applications we've received, Hare said. You put a lot of trust in the labs and you have a need to check them out with site visits.

On-track gaming has caused a slight increase in the number of race days sought for 2006.

Remington Park applied for 118 days split into two meets. The track requested a 50-day quarter horse, appaloosa and paint season from March 10-June 4, and applied for a 68-day thoroughbred season from Aug. 4-Nov. 28.

Blue Ribbon Downs, which has 60 days this year, requested 61 mixed-breed race days from July 29-Nov. 18. Fair Meadows in Tulsa, a fair meet that will not be allowed electronic gaming, requested 33 mixed-breed days from June 1-July 22. Will Rogers Downs' 42-day mixed-meet request was for Feb. 24-May 28.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.