Southland Casino Racing (formerly Southland Greyhound Park and Southland Park Gaming and Racing) is a casino in West Memphis, Arkansas. Simulcast thoroughbred horse races from other tracks around the United States are also offered, along with

greyhound racing Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...

from West Virginia. 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 across the Mississippi River. 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 Mississippi River 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, Inc., based in Buffalo, New York, 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 Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...

, Craps,

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em and

Mississippi Stud Mississippi Stud is a casino table game based on poker introduced by Scientific Games. It has been identified by ''The Motley Fool'' as part of a new generation of table games designed to appeal to younger players by offering easier-to-learn str ...

. As of April 1, 2019, Southland became a full casino pursuant to Amendment 100 to the Constitution of Arkansas, 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