Southland Casino Racing (formerly Southland Greyhound Park and Southland Park Gaming and Racing) is a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

West Memphis, Arkansas West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 census, ranking it as the state's 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is ...

Simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horse races from other tracks around the United States are also offered, along with greyhound racing from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. The venue has been expanded through the years, and with the decline in greyhound racing, shifted from being solely a racing track to becoming a full-fledged casino, finally expanding to such in April 2019 after a constitutional amendment allowed it to do so, becoming the closest casino to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. Because of this, it is one of West Memphis's largest attractions.

History

Southland Park began as a dog racing track in 1956. At its opening in 1956, Southland became Arkansas's only greyhound racetrack, following in the tradition of the earlier Riverside Kennel Club, which was the first greyhound track in West Memphis. Riverside had been located at the Arkansas end of the

bridge between West Memphis and Memphis, Tennessee, and proved to be a popular diversion. Based on that popularity, Southland was established after the demise of Riverside. Originally owned by the Upton family and other individuals, Southland was purchased by

Delaware North Companies Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 55,000 people worl ...

, Inc., based in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, in the early 1970s. In 2019, it was announced that greyhound racing would cease at Southland by December 2022.

Casino

Prior to April 1, 2019, the state of Arkansas did not use traditional slot machines; all games offered were "electronic games of skill," which was defined by section 10.17 of the ''Final Rules of the Arkansas Racing Commission Regulations for Franchise Holders Operating Electronic Games of skill'' as "game(s) played through any electronic device or machine that affords an opportunity for the exercise of skill or judgment where the outcome is not completely controlled by chance alone." At that time, the state of Arkansas did not permit live table games, but Southland Park did have electronic versions of Blackjack,

Craps Craps is a dice game in which players bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, "street ...

, Roulette, Three Card Poker,

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and Mississippi Stud. As of April 1, 2019, Southland became a full casino pursuant to Amendment 100 to the

Constitution of Arkansas The Constitution of Arkansas is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the state government. Arkansas' original constitution was adopted at a constitutional conv ...

, approved by voters in 2018. As such, it now has live versions of blackjack, craps, and other games, as well as sports wagering; it may also have traditional slot machines, though many of the former "electronic games of skill" machines continue to operate under its casino license.

References

External links

Southland Casino RacingSurrounding Community Information
{{Memphis, Tennessee Buildings and structures in West Memphis, Arkansas Casinos in Arkansas Tourist attractions in Crittenden County, Arkansas 1956 establishments in Arkansas Sports venues completed in 1956