Racing and Gaming are on the fast track in The Land of Opportunity
The first national river, the first European settlement on the Lower Mississippi, the biggest oxbow lake in America, the only public mine where you can dig for diamonds and keep what you find â?¦ Arkansas is known for a lot of things, and increasingly, itâ??s known for year-round racing and gaming action.
Arkansas has two great racing and gaming venues – Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis and Oaklawn Racing and Gaming in Hot Springs. Both facilities have recently undergone multi-million dollar renovations that are thrilling high rollers and everyday folks looking to have some serious Natural State fun.
Southland, just across the bridge from downtown Memphis and a short drive from Tunicaâ??s glittering lights, offers over 1,900 gaming machines, exciting giveaways and Free Play rewards! On the state-of-the-art gaming floor, youâ??ll discover some of the best video gaming machines in the greater Memphis area, from old favorites to the latest and greatest games. You can amp up the fun and enjoy yummy food, drinks and live entertainment at Sammy Hagarâ??s Red Rocker Bar and Grill, the most rockinâ?? sports bar around.
Thereâ??s always a chair waiting for you in Southlandâ??s one-of-a-kind poker room, which also hosts daily poker tournaments. You can try your hand at Texas Holdâ??em or Omaha, or take in some live music. For 60 years, regal greyhounds have been racing at Southland, making it one of the oldest greyhound tracks in the country — Southland still holds some of the industry’s all-time attendance and wagering records. An average of 6,000 races are run year-round, with simulcast wagering seven days a week (except on Christmas and Easter).
Just down the street from Hot Springsâ?? storied Bathhouse Row, Oaklawn Racing and Gaming has been serving up the sizzle since 1905. Oaklawnâ??s Thoroughbred racing program has produced champion horses and riders since the start. Most recently, Oaklawn kicked off the winning trajectory of 2015â??s Horse of the Year, American Pharoah, who won both the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby en route to making history with victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes â?? the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Oaklawnâ??s live racing meet runs from mid-January to mid-April, with simulcast racing all year.
Oaklawn is equally well-known for its exciting gaming facilities. One of the larger gaming properties in the region, Oaklawn Gaming has hundreds of new games, live blackjack, a live poker room, video poker, roulette, craps, a high limits area, and the new Silks Bar and Grill and Popâ??s Lounge for a celebratory round of drinks. Great player rewards, food and drink specials, and live music make Oaklawn Gaming a destination of desire for locals and visitors.
Two great racing and gaming destinations in one great state â?¦ Oaklawn and Southland have everything you need for a good time, any time of the year. And because theyâ??re in two very different parts of the state, when you hit them both, you get the best of Arkansas. Oaklawn in Hot Springs gives you quick access to the Ouachita Mountains, five clear mountain lakes, three rivers and five Arkansas State Parks. West Memphis, Southlandâ??s home, presents you with world-famous Delta blues, nationally recognized barbecue and cuisine, and history that dates back more than three centuries.
Winning good times are yours for sure with Oaklawn, Southland and Arkansas, The Natural State.
For more information, visit Arkansas.com
