DISCOVER | Harrah ' s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino
expansion project that will add about 30,000 square feet to the casino and allow for nearly 150 new slot machines and 11 table games . Construction has been plagued by industry-wide supply chain issues and other logistical snags , but hopes are high that most of the work will be finished by the end of the year .
Hoosier Park ’ s new senior vice president and general manager , Colin Skidmore , vowed to “ continue the momentum ,” in his words , that was created when planning began in earnest for the project in 2019 .
In addition to boosting the facility ’ s gaming options , the project will add other amenities including a high limit space , a casino bar featuring hand-crafted cocktails and a quick-serve restaurant accessible directly from the casino floor . The new features are expected to boost the facility ’ s profile among the state ’ s gaming destinations , Skidmore said shortly after assuming the top post at Hoosier Park .
“ We ’ re really rolling a better experience into our food outlets here and our bar refresh and some work trackside ,” he said . “ There ’ s going to be some really cool stuff as this expansion goes on .”
Skidmore and the rest of the facility ’ s leadership team have continued to work on shoring up relationships with the local business and philanthropic communities . Charged with leading one of the county ’ s biggest employers , Skidmore said he and his staff have a heightened awareness of the racino ’ s place among the area ’ s contributors to charitable causes .
“ We realize the importance of supporting a community financially and we want to maintain that and explore ways to really make sure we can make an impact positively as one of the major businesses in the area ,” Skidmore said .
Breeders Crown weekend , set for Oct . 27-28 , offers an ideal occasion for Hoosier Park to showcase those improvements as well as directing new visitors to other places of interest in the county , according to local tourism officials .
“ We ’ re fans of what Hoosier Park does , not only the additional traffic they bring in , but what they do out in the community ,” said Mark Thacker , executive director of the Anderson Madison County Visitors Bureau . “ Knowing that they ’ re growing , they have a huge international race coming , and they ’ re giving back to the community , it ’ s a nice story all the way around .
“ Whether you ’ re coming in for a birthday or the Breeders Crown , we hope we showcase enough other things going on that we can wow them and hopefully generate another trip back ,” Thacker added . “ We at least want them to get that warm fuzzy feeling , get people talking about what else is going on in Madison County .”
8 | DISCOVER FALL / WINTER 2023