Renovations refresh gambling floor at Delaware Park Casino & Racing
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Delaware Park is undergoing a $10 million renovation that will modernize the casino floor with new slot machines, food and drink options and areas for high-limit play.
Changes are already in progress at the Stanton racetrack and casino, where in addition to the refreshed amenities guests will find brighter lighting, carpeting and wallpaper contributing to an overall new feel.
"There's a breath of new life in this property," said Terry Glebocki, president and general manager of Delaware Park Casino & Racing.
The renovation began in January, a little over a year after Delaware Park changed ownership. The Rickman family, which had controlled the racetrack and casino for almost four decades, sold the facility to a joint venture between Rubico Gaming and a private equity firm called Clairvest Group.
The new owners knew from the beginning that they wanted to update the casino, Glebocki said. Under the Rickmans, wood paneling, antique light fixtures and gauche signage gave the main casino floor an aged feel. The changes are aimed at making the property more comfortable for guests and raising its status in the region.
The new look
The main casino entrance demonstrates the stark difference between old and new. The left leads to a dark hallway, sparsely populated with slot machines and lit with an orange hue. That's where renovations are still to come. "That's had its day," Glebocki said.
To the right, where changes have already been made, slot machines taller than most humans coated in LED screens are inescapable. There is bright, white lighting, modern decor and fresh carpet that follows a custom red, orange and gray pattern. (Blue horseshoes can also be spotted in the carpet, an ode to the facility's history).
One of the more significant projects still to come is a new area at the main entrance that will bring the latest and most popular machines forward. The casino has relocated the promotions booth that previously greeted guests and will open up what is now "back of house" space to make the entrance more open and inviting.
A coffee stand to the left that has been closed since the pandemic will be replaced with new slot machines. The entrance area is expected to be completed this fall.
Other changes so far
Glebocki highlighted the casino's slot machine offerings, which she said will continue to be top of the line.
Because of the way Delaware casinos interact with the state lottery, they are able to bring in the top product from their vendors. In other states, like New Jersey, casinos have a lower tax rate but pay vendors a daily usage fee or a percentage of revenue for each machine. In Delaware, casinos pay much more in taxes to the state but vendors get their cut through agreements with the lottery not the casinos.
So when Delaware Park replaces or adds a new machine, they don't pay a vendor large sums. It makes Delaware Park more likely to have new themes before casinos in neighboring states, where one machine could cost $30,000, Glebocki said. There are around 1,900 machines in Delaware Park.
The latest and greatest, means bigger and brighter. You'll find more slot machines oriented in a "carousel" or pod-style arrangement rather than traditional rows. Casinos found during the pandemic that guests liked the personal space, Glebocki said. The extra floor space they consume is worth it, especially at the spacious Delaware Park.
Among the popular options today are Lightning Buffalo Link, Dragon Link and Monopoly.
An area for high-limit slot machines has been separated from the rest of the floor and given its own decor touches. Outside of the slot machines, the casino has added midi-baccarat, a shrunken version of the card game, to the table game area (tip: you can touch the cards). A noodle bar called Foo Noodle has been added to the high-limit table games area.
What's still to come
1937 Brewing Co. and the second-floor Racing Legends steakhouse are getting fresh menus and the steakhouse will eventually get a facelift. A bar that can be accessed from both sides of the main casino floor is under construction.
A gift shop in the back corner of the main casino floor will be renovated into a "themed room." That theme has not been decided. The casino cage on the first floor will also get a facelift.
For now, the second floor of the casino will remain mostly untouched, but a similar refresh could come in the future, Glebocki said. Old school slot machines with cherries, bars and 7s can be found on this level.
Glebocki said they still draw a crowd on the weekends.
The racetrack and sports betting areas are not included in the renovation plans.
