Tioga Downs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tioga Downs |
|
|---|---|
A panoramic view of the main lobby of Tioga Downs
|
|
| Location | Nichols, New York |
| Address | 2384 West River Road, Nichols, NY 13812 |
| Opening date | June 9, 2006 |
| Theme | County-Fair |
| No. of rooms | 160 |
| Total gaming space | 942 machines |
| Notable restaurants | Carousel Bar Coasters Sports Bar Subway County Fair Buffet |
| Casino type | Racino |
| Owner | Jeffrey Gural, CEO of American Racing and Entertainment, LLC; Scott Freeman, President and General Manager American Racing, Tom Murray Security Supervisor, Dave Miller, Director of Security, Graham Shanks F&B Supervisor, Katie Krapf Events Coordinator, Anita Wintermute EMT, |
| Architect | CGL Architects |
| Coordinates | 42°01′31″N 76°24′57″W / 42.025324°N 76.415749°W |
| Website | Tioga Downs Casino |
Tioga Downs is a fun place in Nichols, New York. It has a county-fair theme and is home to a standardbred horse racetrack. It also has a commercial casino. The whole area covers about 138 acres (0.56 square kilometers).
Contents
How It Started
Tioga Downs first opened in 1976 as a quarterhorse track called "Tioga Park." However, it closed after only three seasons. The owner at the time, James Nuckel, said that the track was losing a lot of money every day. After it closed, only a few private races and occasional flea markets were held there.
A New Beginning
In 2000, a person named Jeffrey Gural had an idea. He was a real-estate expert and loved horses and racing. He started working to get the state to allow special gaming machines, called Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), at racetracks. VLTs are like slot machines but are connected to the state lottery.
In 2005, the state finally approved VLTs. Soon after, Jeffrey Gural teamed up with Nevada Gold and Casinos. They bought the old Tioga Park for $32 million. They had a special ceremony on July 22, 2005, to mark the start of building the new Tioga Downs.
Tioga Downs officially opened its doors on June 9, 2006. It offered harness racing, where horses pull a driver in a two-wheeled cart. You could also place bets on races happening at other tracks, which is called simulcast betting. Plus, there were over 800 VLTs to play.
The new Tioga Downs also had two bars, a Subway restaurant, a banquet room for events, a coffee and bakery shop, and a buffet. There's even a stage where famous artists like Gretchen Wilson, Vanilla Ice, Tony Orlando, and Sister Sledge have performed concerts.
During the warmer months, there's a big tent by the track. People use it for weddings, business meetings, parties, and award ceremonies. In 2011, Tioga Downs also opened its own Flea Market. Later, in 2017, a hotel resort was added to the site, so people could stay right there.
Fun Games to Play
Tioga Downs has 802 VLTs. These machines usually pay back about 92% of the money played on them. If you like to play, you can get a player's club card. There are three levels: classic, progressive, and jackpot.
Outside the main gaming room, you can buy Quick Draw and instant lottery tickets. Inside, you can play games like keno, video poker, and different kinds of slot machines. Sometimes, a group of "Hot Shot" machines offers a very large prize, often over $250,000!
Horse Racing Action
Tioga Downs holds horse races from May to September. Races usually happen on Friday and Saturday evenings, starting at 6:50 PM. On Sundays, races start earlier, at 1:30 PM.
The fastest race ever at Tioga Downs was completed in 1 minute and 48.1 seconds. Two horses share this record: Bettor Sweet, who set it in 2011, and Pet Rock, who matched it in 2013.
How Tioga Downs Grew
The money Tioga Downs made from its slot machines steadily increased after it opened. The "net win" is the money left after players win their prizes. In 2006-2007, this was $30 million. It grew to $43 million in 2007-2008, and kept going up. By 2012-2013, it reached its highest at $61 million.
In 2013-2014, the net win was $57 million, which was the first time it went down a little. On average, each slot machine brings in about $200 every day.
Big Changes and Expansion
In November 2013, people in New York voted on something called "Proposal One." This vote allowed the state to give out a few special licenses for casinos that would have "Las Vegas-style" table games, like blackjack or roulette.
Tioga Downs owner, Jeff Gural, wanted one of these licenses to make Tioga Downs a full casino. His first request was turned down. However, Governor Andrew Cuomo asked the state board to look at it again. In October 2015, the board changed its mind and gave a license to Tioga Downs!
The expanded Tioga Downs, with its new table games, opened in December 2016.
