Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races 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 ...

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

complex located in

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. ...

, 60 miles (97 km) northwest of

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment.

History

Background and development

Founded by Albert and Joseph Boyle as Jefferson County Races, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races became America’s first winter race meet upon its opening in December 1933. The Boyles spent $160,000 to build the facility (a huge sum during the height of the Great Depression) believing that it would draw large crowds due to it being the only northern track to hold races during the winter season, and they were right. Even with freezing temperatures and odds being calculated by

slide rule The slide rule is a mechanical analog computer which is used primarily for multiplication and division, and for functions such as exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is not typically designed for addition or subtraction, which ...

, the grandstand overflowed. Train service from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

boosted attendance, and the track continued to thrive through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

.https://www.twinspires.com/hollywood-casino-at-charles-town-races The facility attracted many notable guests, including

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation � ...

, who was a regular visitor, and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

during his campaign for

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Ownership changes and expansion

The

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

was sold to Shenandoah Corporation in 1972. Shenandoah Corporation also owned Shenandoah Downs, which was Charles Town Races only competitor. After the closure of Shenandoah Downs in 1975, year-round racing was moved to Charles Town. During the 1990s, purses fell, leading to dwindling attendance and fewer high-caliber horses. The track’s future was in serious doubt, and many observers feared the facility would close for good. Then, during the fall of 1996, voters approved video lottery machines at Charles Town. Shortly after,

Penn National Gaming Penn Entertainment, Inc., formerly Penn National Gaming, is an American entertainment company and operator of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming. It operates 43 properties in 20 states, online sports betting in 14 jurisd ...

(now Penn Entertainment) agreed to purchase the facility in 1997, and immediately began a $175,000,000 upgrade of the venue. These upgrades included the addition of

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 ...

racing, numerous dining options, and 3,500

slot machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively a ...

s. Table games were also added in 2010, along with an event center for live concerts and shows.

Horse racing

The Sprint Festival

In 2008, the track inaugurated The Sprint Festival, four open stakes worth a total of $500,000. These are the 4½

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

$200,000

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. Run at the beginning of ...

for colts and

geldings A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

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.

West Virginia Breeders' Classics

In 1987, NFL Hall of Fame

Sam Huff Robert Lee "Sam" Huff (October 4, 1934 – November 13, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. He played college footba ...

organized the first West Virginia Breeders’ Classics. Local favorite Onion Juice won the inaugural running and the state’s first $100,000 purse. * Biggest race of the day is the $500,000

West Virginia Breeders' Classic The West Virginia Breeders Classic is a thoroughbred horse race for West Virginia breeds 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, ...

. * Total purses for the day combine for a total $1,000,000.

Charles Town Classic

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.

Researcher Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...

won the 1st and 2nd Charles Town Classic races. In 2013, the purse was increased to $1,500,000 with the winner receiving $1,000,000, making the Grade 3 Charles Town Classic one of the richest Thoroughbred race contested in U.S. surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race has attracted top-class performers including

Game On Dude Game On Dude (foaled April 26, 2007 in Kentucky) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse gelding. He won fourteen graded stakes races, including eight Grade I stakes: the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011, 2013, and 2014 the only horse to have wo ...

and

Shared Belief Shared Belief (February 15, 2011 – December 3, 2015) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old, he was undefeated in three races, including the Hollywood Prevue Stakes and Los Alamitos Futurity, and was named the American Champ ...

Graded events

The following Graded events were held at Charles Town Races in 2019. Grade III *

Charles Town Classic The Charles Town Classic is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and older over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt held annually in August at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles ...

* Charles Town Oaks

Other facilities

Hotel

Also on the property is a 153-room hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, and several dining facilities including: a food court, sports bar, fine dining restaurant, and the Skyline Terrace which overlooks the track. However, while a hot buffet breakfast is served at the hotel, the previously mentioned dining facilities are not located in the hotel. The property offers a shuttle between the hotel and casino/racetrack for its patrons.

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 Races".

Sports betting

On August 30, 2018,

sports betting Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture, with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football, American football, basket ...

began at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The casino is the first in West Virginia to offer sports betting.

References

External links

*
Ronney W. Brown Racing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollywood Casino At Charles Town Races Casinos in West Virginia Horse racing venues in West Virginia Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, West Virginia Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, West Virginia Charles Town, West Virginia