Tag: Southland Casino Racing

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Southland Casino Racing Donates to Hattiloo Theatre

Photo left to right: Neki Catron, Southland Casino Racing community engagement manager, and Ekundayo Bandele, Hattiloo Theatre founder (Courtesy Southland Casino Racing)

As part of its parent company Delaware North’s “Game Changer” initiative, Southland Casino Racing on Tuesday presented Memphis’ Hattiloo Theatre with a check for $44,346.

“We support the Hattiloo Theatre’s vision to develop a modern performing-arts venue that is accessible to, relevant to, and reflective of a multicultural community,” said David Wolf, general manager and president of Southland Casino Racing. “And to take it a step further — it’s wonderful to know that we are a part of something  even larger, as patrons of other gaming venues within our company’s U.S. portfolio are helping those in need within their respective communities.”

“After two years of social and cultural distancing, this generous donation will not only help Hattiloo recover from the fiscal challenges precipitated by the pandemic, but it will also enable it to serve as a supportive space, where  artists can continue to articulate the complexity and beauty of Black life through their craft,” said Ekundayo Bandele, founder and CEO of Hattiloo Theatre. 

Since September of 2020, the Game Changer program at Southland has raised over $243,000 for the local community.

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Southland Casino Racing Hosts Mobile Food Pantry

Southland Casino Racing hosted Mid-South Food Bank’s mobile food pantry distribution on March 1st. (Courtesy Southland Casino Racing)

Southland Casino Racing this week hosted a mobile food pantry distribution for Crittenden County residents. Each family received 40 pounds or more of food during the distribution.

In November 2021, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, a day devoted to a world-wide celebration of philanthropy and activism called “Giving Tuesday,” Southland Casino Racing, in collaboration with its parent company, Delaware North, announced continuing investments in the Mid-South community with donations totaling $600,000 to two organizations that serve the Crittenden County community: the Mid-South Food Bank and the East Arkansas Family Health Center.

“We’re very proud that Southland’s first distribution of $161,000 in funding to the Mid-South Food Bank has allowed the organization to add to its mobile pantry operations to improve the efficiency of food distribution in Crittenden County and reach food desert areas,” said David Wolf, Southland president and general manager. “It’s great to host the mobile pantry right here at Southland and address the critical needs of this community.”

The funds will establish and supply two Healthy School Pantries, in order to provide children and their families with access to food for preparation at home when other resources, such as  school meals, are not available.  

“The Mid-South Food Bank is thankful for this partnership with Southland Casino Racing,” said Cathy Pope, Mid-South Food Bank president and CEO. “This collaboration will help us increase food distribution for rural areas in Crittenden County and help establish more partner agencies in the area. Additionally, this opportunity will help educate and connect families to other vital programs that support food and economic security.”

A mobile pantry distribution is a method of direct client distribution in partnership with an organization that acts as a host site.(Courtesy Southland Casino Racing)
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MEMernet: Moving to Memphis, Memphis AF, and Getting Back Out There

Posted to YouTube by Moving to Memphis Tennessee

Memphis on the internet.

Pros and Cons

A YouTube video from a channel called Moving to Memphis Tennessee outlines some pros and cons of, you guessed it, moving to Memphis. The weight of the mismatches would be hilarious if they weren’t so sad.

Pro: Basketball. Con: Poverty. Pro: Memphis in May. Con: No public transportation.

Other videos include: “What’s in Atoka?” and “Should You Move to Bartlett?”

Define AF

“What does Memphis AF mean to you?” asked one Memphis subredditor. Responses included “drinking in church,” “terrible roads and bad drivers,” “drive-out tags,” “bootleg DVDs,” and “disappointment.”

Back at It

Posted to YouTube by the Memphis Flyer

Last week, the Flyer launched a new, occasional series called “Getting Back Out There.” In it, we’ll explore life in the (hopefully for real this time) waning days of Covid-19. We’ll get back to bars, restaurants, and more in the great indoors. Last week, we toured the new concourse at Memphis International Airport and the expansion at Southland Casino Racing.

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Getting Back Out There: Southland Casino Racing’s Huge Expansion

Credit: Southland Casino Racing

Here’s the first in an occasional video series called Getting Back Out There from Flyer reporter Toby Sells.

For this one, ride along with Sells as he tours Southland Casino Racing’s $250 million expansion. The project features a massive gaming floor (bigger than two football fields) and a massive hotel tower housing more than 300 rooms.

The casino is expected to open in April and the hotel is expected to open in September or October, Southland officials said Friday.

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Southland Casino Racing Donates to Two Mid-South Organizations

Left to right: Marco McClendon, West Memphis Mayor; Susan Ward-Jones, East Arkansas Family Health Center CEO; Lou Jacobs, Delaware North Owner and CEO; David Wolf, Southland Casino Racing (Courtesy Southland Casino Racing)

In celebration of Giving Tuesday — the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday, which is touted as a day devoted to generosity and philanthropy — Southland Casino Racing, in collaboration with its parent company, Delaware North, donated $600,000 to two Mid-South organizations.

Mid-South Food Bank will receive $325,000 toward its mobile food pantry, and the East Arkansas Family Health Center will receive $275,000 to fund the development of an OB-GYN program, the gaming center said.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales saw some declines this year, as the Associated Press reports, 2021’s Giving Tuesday saw a record $2.7 billion in donations.

Presenting the donations at Southland on Tuesday were Lou Jacobs, Delaware North CEO; David Wolf, Southland  Casino Racing president and general manager; and Johnekia Catron, Southland’s community engagement manager. 

“Being a good neighbor is a key part of our mission at Delaware North and Southland Casino Racing,” Jacobs said. “We are grateful for partners like Mid-South Food Bank and East Arkansas  Family Health Center for their work to address the critical needs of this community, and we hope these  investments make a meaningful impact to advance that work.”

The organizations were identified through a community-needs assessment that revealed two significant areas of hardship: food insecurity and access to women’s healthcare. Crittenden County has a  significant food insecurity rate, which is on the rise because of the ongoing pandemic. For women, the nearest OB-GYN without crossing into another state is 39 miles from the area.

Left to right: Marco McClendon, West Memphis Mayor; Cathy Pope, Mid-South Food Bank President and CEO; Lou Jacobs, Delaware North Owner and CEO; David Wolf, Southland Casino Racing President and General Manager (Courtesy Southland Casino Racing)

“The Mid-South Food Bank is thankful for this partnership with Southland Casino Racing,” said Cathy Pope, Mid South Food Bank president and CEO. “This opportunity will help educate and connect families to other vital programs that support food  and economic security.” 

“The East Arkansas Family Health Center is elated to collaborate with Southland Casino Racing in providing OB-GYN services to the community at large,” said Dr. Susan Ward-Jones, CEO of the East Arkansas Family Health Center. “This funding will allow for a robust program that will improve health outcomes and reduce morbidity and mortality.”

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Sports Betting Now Open at Southland Casino Racing

CREDIT: Southland Casino Racing

Southland Casino Racing

Sports betting opened at Southland Casino Racing on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs will win Super Bowl 54 on Sunday.

That’s the prediction of Le Le, one of the Memphis Zoo’s giant pandas, anyway. Think you know better? Wanna bet? Put some money on it? Now you can, right across the river.

Southland Casino Racing opened its book for sports betting on Tuesday. There, you can make wagers on Sunday’s game, the NBA, college basketball, NASCAR, PGA tournaments, and more.

You can place your bets at teller windows or one of the many kiosks inside the Sports Bar & Grill and other spots inside the casino.

Sports betting arrived in the Tunica, Mississippi casinos in 2018. In December 2019, more than $12.4 million in bets were placed in the northern region of the state in basketball, football, and cards. Sports bets across the state were more than $49 million in December, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Memphis and Shelby county leaders supported sports betting here last year.

State legislators approved sports betting across the state with a new law. That law will allow sports betting in areas only if it is approved by local election. The law also created a Tennessee Gaming Commission and levied a 20-percent tax on gross revenues. The tax is expected to yield nearly $6 million for the state’s general fund in the next fiscal year.

However, no sports betting is happening yet in Tennessee (legally, at least). The commission has not yet been fully organized and no licenses have yet been issued.

Over at Southland in West Memphis, the casino is getting a $250 million expansion and facelift. The project includes a new casino complex and a high-rise hotel.
The casino announced last year that it changed its name to Southland Casino Racing in April. It announced in October that it would phase out live greyhound racing by 2022.

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Southland Launches Live Table Games, Unveils New Name

CREDIT: Southland Casino Racing

Southland Casino Racing

This rendering shows the $250 million expansion proposed for Southland’s casino and dog track in West Memphis.

Southland Gaming and Racing launched live tables games Tuesday afternoon and the casino and dog track has a brand new name.

The newly dubbed Southland Casino Racing received its formal casino license from the Arkansas Racing Commission and opened 40 live tables games at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Visitors there can now play blackjack, craps, and roulette.

The license also allows Southland to expand the number of slot machines, now with 2,050 machines on the casino floor. The expansion created more than 100 new jobs, according to David Wolf, president and general manager of Southland for Delaware North, the casino’s parent company.

In January, Delaware North announced plans for a $250 million expansion of Southland to include a new casino complex and high-rise hotel. Construction on the project is expected to begin this summer. The casino complex and parking garage are expected to be complete in about 12 months. The hotel tower should be complete in about 18 months.