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To: Hugo Martin LA Times <email address not displayed> Your Name: Email address: Subject: Message: Hugo Martin LA Times wrote on the message board: > Hugo Martin > The Hollywood Park Casino opened more than 20 years ago in Inglewood > with the hopes of boosting the city’s coffers, creating jobs and > spurring development in the working-class community. > > Celebrity gamblers such as William Shatner, Jason Alexander and Ben > Affleck have been spotted laying down bets at the card club adjacent > to the Hollywood Park Racetrack and the Forum arena. > > But hard times have fallen on the aging card club since the Los > Angeles Lakers abandoned the Forum in 1999, the race track folded in > 2013 and competing clubs have doubled down on swanky renovations to > draw away the high rollers. > > Now, Hollywood Park’s owners hope to turn around the club’s > fortunes around with a move to a bigger facility next door designed to > draw the wealthy clientele who will be visiting the $1.86-billion pro > football stadium scheduled to open in three years in an adjacent > multiuse development. > > “We’ve lost a lot of customers, but I think we can get them > back,” said Deven Kumar, general manager of the Hollywood Park > Casino, which is scheduled to open at its new home this fall. “I > think Hollywood Park Casino still carries a lot of cachet.” > > The 110,000-square-foot building will be nearly 40% larger, will hold > 35 more gaming tables and include a new sit-down restaurant and sports > bar, featuring a giant, dual-sided television screen, he said. > > The existing facilities are more humble: Hungry gamblers looking for a > bite must now squeeze into a tiny cafeteria-style eatery to order a > microwave-heated sandwich or a pre-made salad. > > “The old casino is just that: old,” said Inglewood Mayor James > Butts Jr. “It has outlived its time.” > > Kumar wouldn’t divulge how much casino owner Stockbridge Capital > Group is investing in the new facility, but replacing the old club > makes economic sense. > > The larger casino will target big-spending football fans visiting the > City of Champions Stadium to root on the Rams, the NFL team that has > returned to Southern California after more than two decades away. > > Hollywood Park Casino also hopes to meet the call of its rivals, such > as the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, which launched a $50-million > overhaul last year. It added a glitzy 99-room hotel, a fitness center, > an outdoor pool deck, a spa and restaurant. > > In February, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians also completed a > nearly $50 million upgrade of the tribe’s casino in Highland, adding > a new, larger high-limit room, an Asian-inspired gaming room and > several new eateries and bars. > > And it was announced this week that adult entertainment mogul Larry > Flynt, who already owns the Hustler Casino in Gardena, bought the > Normandie Casino, located less than a mile away. > > “Everyone is raising their game,” Kumar said. > > The Hollywood Park Casino opened its doors in 1994, near the Forum, > home to the NBA Lakers, and the Hollywood Park racetrack. > > It was built at a cost of more than $20 million and initially owned by > the Hollywood Park Operating Co., which also owned the race track. > > The casino has had several owners over the years, including Churchill > Downs. The Louisville company, which operates the track where the > Kentucky Derby is held, acquired the racetrack and casino complex in > 1999. > > Stockbridge, a San Francisco land developer, purchased the complex in > 2005 for nearly $260 million. It had plans to redevelop the property > into housing and shops before the current NFL stadium proposal was > adopted. > > Stockbridge is in a joint venture with Rams owner Stan Kroenke to > build the 300-acre mixed-use complex, which will include the stadium, > shops, hotels, homes and two lakes. > > Kroenke does not have a stake in the card club, which will be > demolished to make way for the larger mixed-use complex. > > Before it opened, Inglewood city officials predicted the card club > would generate up to $10 million each year for the city, by > contributing a share of the casino’s revenues. > > Instead, city financial reports show that the card club contributed > less than $5 million annually for the first several years after > opening before dropping to under $3 million in 2012 and 2013. In the > most recent budget report, the city estimated it would receive $3.3 > million for the 2014-15 fiscal year. > > Kumar wouldn’t say how much revenue he expects the new casino to > generate but promised a big increase. > > “I think we have the potential to double what we have now,” he > said. > > Butts is hopeful that the football stadium and the adjoining > developments will be a revenue boon for Inglewood. > > Construction is underway at Hollywood Park site; if they build there, > will NFL's Rams come home? > “I believe that the casino will far exceed the wildest expectations > for the Carry Grant Pavilion,” the mayor said, referring to the > original off-track betting area that was converted into the casino 22 > years ago. > > Poker players who say Hollywood Park has also been held back by fears > over safety and crime in the neighborhood look forward to the casino > makeover and the adjacent development. > > “I can only imagine how well they will do once the football stadium > goes up in that area,” said Nichoel Jurgens, a professional poker > player from Long Beach. > > The existing casino, which operates 24 hours a day, has a 1940s era, > Art Deco feel, with hot pink neon lighting blaring over its entrance. > To get to the casino, visitors must climb a small hill from a nearby > parking lot. Inside, the casino’s card room is a cavernous space > with florescent lighting and pull-down screens to show sporting > events. The gamblers sit on what resemble office chairs. > > The new casino, to open within hours after the old casino closes, has > a modern, clean design, with a large glass entrance and a digital sign > at the entrance on West Century Boulevard. A four-story parking > structure with 1,600 spots has been built next to the new casino. > > Inside, the new casino’s card room will feature 125 tables, > chandelier lighting and big-screen televisions on the walls and behind > the bar. Separate rooms have been built for high-stakes players and > celebrity poker tournaments. The gamblers will sit on brown and > cream-colored upholstered counter stools. Only card games are allowed > in the casino. > > Instead of a cramped cafeteria-type eatery, the new casino will > feature a sit-down restaurant and sports bar that can seat 210 people. > A coffee outlet that will serve Starbucks or a similar national brand > will open near the casino entrance. Code: Enter the following code: (required) Consider sharing your comments with the other readers of the message board. They may benefit from your insights If you decide not to send email, post a follow up instead, or return to the original message