Charles Town Races & Slots
Encyclopedia
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a gambling facility owned by Penn National Gaming
and located just outside the eastern city limits of Charles Town
, West Virginia
. It features a six furlong
thoroughbred
horse racing
facility that is home of the West Virginia Breeders' Classic
. It also contains over 5,000 slot machine
s, which help to generate 1,400 jobs for the surrounding community. As of July 2010, they now have table games.
The Charles Town Race Track was opened on December 2, 1933 by the Shenandoah Valley Jockey Club. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B11FA3F5516738DDDAB0894DA415B838FF1D3 It has changed owners over the years and in 1997 was purchased by Penn National.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/55922981.html?dids=55922981:55922981&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+02%2C+2000&author=Alan+Goldenbach&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Racetrack+Finds+Winning+Formula+Series%3A+occ.&pqatl=google
In 2008, the track inaugurated The Sprint Festival, four open stakes worth a total of $500,000. These are the 4½ furlong
$200,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash
for colts
and geldings three-years-old and up, the $100,000 Lady Charles Town for 3-year-old fillies at 4½ furlongs, the $100,000 West Virginia Sprint Derby for 3-year-olds at 4½ furlongs, and the $100,000 Red Legend Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.
In 2009, it inaugurated the Charles Town Classic
for older horses running a distance of one and 1/8 mile. The purse was "tiered" and was determined by the graded status of the winner. The purse's range was from between $500,000 and $1,000,000. In 2010, the purse was increased to $1,000,000, regardless of the winner's prior race record, making it one of the biggest races of the year in the USA.
Also on the property is a 150-room hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, and several dining facilities, including a food court, track side restaurant, and the Skyline Terrace. On June 9, 2007 local voters
defeated a referendum
to permit expansion of the facility to include dice and card "table games".
On December 5, 2009, a second referendum was held on table games and this time voters approved the referendum to allow table games at the venue. As of July 2, 2010, the facility, for years known as "Charles Town Races & Slots," was renamed "Hollywood Casino at Charles Town." It now features a 1930s Art Deco
and classic Hollywood theme, as well as various table games like blackjack
and roulette
and a 30-table poker
room.
Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming, Inc. is a diversified owner and operator of casino properties, as well as horse racetracks and associated off-track betting facilities primarily in the United States...
and located just outside the eastern city limits of Charles Town
Charles Town, West Virginia
Charles Town is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,907 at the 2000 census. Due to its similar name, travelers have sometimes confused this city with the state's capital, Charleston.-History:...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. It features a six furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
thoroughbred
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...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
facility that is home of the West Virginia Breeders' Classic
West Virginia Breeders' Classic
The West Virginia Breeders Classic is a thoroughbred horse race for West Virginia breds run at a distance of one and one/eighth mile on the dirt. Open to three-year-olds and up, it takes place each year at the Charles Town Races in Charles Town, West Virginia, and offers a purse of $500,000...
. It also contains over 5,000 slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, which help to generate 1,400 jobs for the surrounding community. As of July 2010, they now have table games.
The Charles Town Race Track was opened on December 2, 1933 by the Shenandoah Valley Jockey Club. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B11FA3F5516738DDDAB0894DA415B838FF1D3 It has changed owners over the years and in 1997 was purchased by Penn National.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/55922981.html?dids=55922981:55922981&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+02%2C+2000&author=Alan+Goldenbach&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Racetrack+Finds+Winning+Formula+Series%3A+occ.&pqatl=google
In 2008, the track inaugurated The Sprint Festival, four open stakes worth a total of $500,000. These are the 4½ furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
$200,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash
Charles Town Invitational Dash
The Charles Town Invitational Dash is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Charles Town Races & Slots in Charles Town, West Virginia. In 2008, it headlined the Charles Town Races and Slots' inaugural Sprint Festival....
for colts
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
and geldings three-years-old and up, the $100,000 Lady Charles Town for 3-year-old fillies at 4½ furlongs, the $100,000 West Virginia Sprint Derby for 3-year-olds at 4½ furlongs, and the $100,000 Red Legend Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.
In 2009, it inaugurated the Charles Town Classic
Charles Town Classic
The Charles Town Classic is an American Thoroughbred horse race for older horses and is run at Charles Town Races & Slots in Charles Town, West Virginia. Inaugurated in 2009, it's set at a distance of 1 mile and 1/8 on the dirt...
for older horses running a distance of one and 1/8 mile. The purse was "tiered" and was determined by the graded status of the winner. The purse's range was from between $500,000 and $1,000,000. In 2010, the purse was increased to $1,000,000, regardless of the winner's prior race record, making it one of the biggest races of the year in the USA.
Also on the property is a 150-room hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, and several dining facilities, including a food court, track side restaurant, and the Skyline Terrace. On June 9, 2007 local voters
Jefferson County, West Virginia
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 53,498. Its county seat is Charles Town...
defeated a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
to permit expansion of the facility to include dice and card "table games".
On December 5, 2009, a second referendum was held on table games and this time voters approved the referendum to allow table games at the venue. As of July 2, 2010, the facility, for years known as "Charles Town Races & Slots," was renamed "Hollywood Casino at Charles Town." It now features a 1930s Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and classic Hollywood theme, as well as various table games like blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
and roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
and a 30-table poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
room.