Gaming
2024
Supporting local communities a big focus for Gaming division
Delaware North’s Gaming locations supported many different charitable efforts and community organizations throughout the year, including through the company’s Game Changer program, which raised thousands of dollars from patron donations.
Among the highlights were Southland Casino Hotel’s donation of $1.7 million to the City of West Memphis, Ark., for the development of a new animal shelter and more than $500,000 to establish scholarships at Arkansas State University Mid-South.
Gate City Casino in Nashua, N.H., contributed millions of dollars to dozens of community organizations under the state’s charitable gaming format and also participated in the United Way of Greater Nashua’s Over the Edge Fundraiser in June. Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, Hamburg Gaming and Catawba Two Kings Casino were among other gaming locations that held holiday toy drives or made other large charitable donations.
2024
Delaware North venues host major poker tournaments
Daytona Beach and Orange City Racing and Card Clubs held several major poker tournaments in 2024, including a two-week, 16-trophy Moneymaker Poker Tour event in August.
That tournament, part of the clubs’ Great American Poker Tournaments (GAPT) series, drew 2,147 entries with the total prize pool topping $800,000. The event attracted players from around the world and featured a livestream of the final table.
In July, Daytona Beach hosted a $250,000 GAPT event that included qualifiers from Delaware North’s other gaming properties that feature poker: Gate City Casino in Nashua, N.H., Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in Cross Lanes, W.Va., and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack in Wheeling, W.Va. Daytona Beach also held a Women’s Charity Invitational Tournament as part of Women’s History Month, and Gate City Casino hosted the first large buy-in poker tournament in the state.
2024
Southland Casino Hotel builds reputation as top regional casino
Delaware North’s Southland Casino Hotel in Arkansas in 2024 continued to garner praise as the top superregional gaming destination in the Mid-South.
Among several regional media stories profiling Southland was Texas Lifestyle Magazine, which raved about the property as the ideal destination for fun, food and entertainment while visiting nearby Memphis, Tenn. The magazine’s October edition included a 10-page story headlined, “Vegas with a Soul: Making the Most of Memphis at Southland Casino Hotel.”
It noted that Southland has “some of the poshest hotel rooms,” a “spectacularly modern” gaming floor and offers “impeccable service.” The writer called the food and drink options “far beyond standard, even when compared to Vegas,” praising The Kitchens multiconcept buffet and Ignite Steakhouse as “a white linen tablecloth affair that serves up prime cuts that would be right at home in any major metropolis.”
JUNE 2024
Catawba Nation begins construction of $700 million casino resort
The Catawba Nation, a Delaware North client since 2019, in June celebrated the start of construction on a $700 million casino resort in Kings Mountain, N.C., near Charlotte.
Delaware North is a key consultant on the Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort project – planned to open in two phases beginning in spring 2026 with 4,300 gaming machines, 100 table games, restaurants, bars and a 400-room hotel. The company has also assisted in operating the nation’s temporary casino since it opened in 2021.
Delaware North CEO Lou Jacobs spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, which was also attended by Brian Hansberry, group president for Gaming, and other Delaware North executives.
NOVEMber 2024
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack opens new and enhanced buffet
Delaware North’s Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack in West Virginia in November celebrated the grand opening of its new and enhanced buffet, which promises to become a popular regional dining destination with a new menu featuring a variety of fresh chef-prepared cuisine.
The newly designed and reimagined buffet space, which underwent significant construction over several months, features a modern, spacious and comfortable setting for casino patrons and other guests. With a chef-curated menu, it brings an elevated take on classic buffet dining, showcasing a selection of regional specialties.
To further celebrate the new buffet, Casey Webb, the dynamic star of the popular Food Network show “Man v. Food,” in December hosted an epic eating challenge. Four teams, including members of the local hockey team and city fire department, competed to finish 9.2 pounds of food per person in 20 minutes.
NOVEMBER 2024
Betly online sportsbook poised for growth with new platform
Delaware North in November announced the selection of leading online gaming platform, content and services provider Playtech to power its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino.
Playtech will power the Betly sportsbooks at Delaware North casinos in Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and West Virginia, a state where since 2023 Betly has offered an online casino in addition to sports betting.
Playtech offers robust promotional features that will allow Betly to offer customers an array of enticing and personalized offerings, including bonus bets, boosts, drawings and tournaments. Betly will also offer Playtech’s responsible gaming solutions.
