Aerial view of the $100 million expansion Oaklawn plans to begin after the 2019 racing season. Rendering by HBG Design of Memphis.
Once the voters of Arkansas decided to stake their hopes on casinos, it didn’t take long for wagering options in the state to expand.
But the lure of winnings also includes some potential windfall for the state’s hospitality and tourism industry as luxury hotels and events centers rise alongside the gaming venues.
In 2018, the voters approved Issue 4, calling for a constitutional amendment legalizing gaming in four counties and giving the Arkansas Racing Commission authority to license and regulate casinos.
When the Saracen Casino Resort opens in Pine Bluff this summer it will be the third wagering and gaming venue approved for Arkansas, joining Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs and Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis. A fourth resort and casino in Russellville is under consideration.
The expansion of wagering options is expected to generate thousands of new jobs, millions in state and local revenues and billions in gross domestic product (GDP). But it’s not just the wealth of gaming options driving those figures; hospitality options are expanding as well.
In Pine Bluff, Hot Springs and West Memphis, high-rise hotels with amenities and meeting spaces are taking shape, making tourism dollars a part of the projected economic benefits.
At Oaklawn, a seven-story, 200-room hotel with a 14,000-SF multi-purpose events center with expanded parking will overlook the venerable and popular horse track.
Joan Botts, Oaklawn vice president of marketing, said it was too soon to project dollar or attendance figures that may come from hotel events, and that the scheduling of events was still in the works. However Steve Arrison, CEO of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, forecast an infusion of tourism dollars and said the impact of the Oaklawn expansion is already being felt in some ways.
He noted that the number of “day-trippers” visiting the city is up 40% from five years ago.
“So it definitely has an impact,” he said. “I think outside of what it’s drawing, it’s drawing more investment in our community.”
Arrison noted the $30 million renovation of the former Clarion Hotel into a DoubleTree and a Wyndham microtel near Oaklawn.
“It’s generating a lot of buzz around Hot Springs and a lot of economic development,” Arrison said.
In Pine Bluff, the Saracen Casino Annex, operated by the Oklahoma-based Quapaw Nation, is already open. The rest of the $350 million complex— the largest tourism investment in Arkansas—is to open in the first half of 2020 and will include a 300-room hotel, conference and banquet centers, an entertainment venue, several restaurants, an emergency services facility and even a daycare and learning facility. The annex portion with 300 slot machines is already open.
“The opening of the Annex and next summer’s opening of the Saracen Casino Resort will draw visitors from across Arkansas and surrounding states,” Quapaw Nation Chairman John L. Berrey said after the annex opened.
A 20-story, 300-room hotel with 12 penthouse suites is part of the Southland expansion and is expected to open in 2021. Additionally, Southland has announced it is phasing out greyhound racing, once its primary attraction, meaning the facility’s focus will be on gaming and tourism.
The hotel, which will easily be Crittenden County’s tallest building, will also spark the addition of more restaurants.
Jim Jackson, executive director of the West Memphis Advertising and Promotion Commission, also operates the West Memphis Civic Auditorium which seats just over 1,000 and the Eugene Woods Civic Center, which holds approximately 400. He anticipates some movement of events to Southland, paving the way for other events to come into the two centers.
“I think the medium sized market is going to be perfect to target for Southland and what we’re already doing,” Jackson said.
As Southland begins to schedule groups and events, Jackson said, West Memphis is hoping to make progress on adding local attractions to give attendees reasons to stay an extra day and explore the community.
“We are actually in the middle of a feasibility study on a water park/aquatic center and outdoor entertainment area. … Of course we’re a small town so anything would be in the vicinity of Southland,” Jackson said. “But we need some other attractions for tourists. We get 60,000 vehicles a day coming through the city of West Memphis where I-40 and I-55 merge, so we’ve got the traffic count and a lot of empty land.”
Jackson said there are also proposals to develop attractions embracing West Memphis’ musical heritage, possibly involving the old radio station KWEM, among other things.
As far as advertising and promotions go, Jackson said, Southland has always been the biggest contributor to tourism dollars, locally and statewide, because of local and state sales taxes.
“If you’re in this business you like Southland,” he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
SARACEN CASINO RESORT
Hotel Completion Date: June 1, 2020
Total SF: 570,000
Guest Rooms: 300
Amenities: Conference center, entertainment venue, spa, restaurants
OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT
Completion Date: Late 2020
Total SF: N/A
Guest Rooms: 200
Amenities: Multipurpose events center, two presidential suites, individual meeting rooms, spa, restaurants
SOUTHLAND CASINO RACING
Completion Date: January 2021
Total SF: 240,000
Guest Rooms: 300
Amenities: 12 penthouse suites, covered parking garage
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