Delaware Park Building $5M Gaming Patio Where Smoking Will Be Allowed

Posted on: October 22, 2024, 02:23h. 

Last updated on: October 22, 2024, 02:40h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Delaware Park Casino in Wilmington recently broke ground on an outdoor gaming patio that will house more than 250 of the latest and most popular slot machines in an open-air environment.

Delaware Park Casino outdoor gaming slots
Delaware Park has broken ground on what’s being billed as the largest outdoor gaming patio in the state. The casino plans to have the slots area ready for play in the spring of 2025. (Image: Delaware Park)

Located trackside to the one-mile oval used for horse racing, the gaming patio will become part of the facility’s outdoor grandstand. The venue is expected to open next spring.

Since Delaware’s Clean Indoor Air Act took effect in November 2022, tobacco use inside most workplaces and enclosed public places, including casinos and parimutuel wagering venues, is prohibited. Delaware Park’s gaming patio will afford guests wishing to smoke a cigarette or cigar while gambling the option to do so.

Delaware Park’s outdoor gaming area follows Bally’s Dover’s lead, which recently opened its Outdoor Gaming Space. Delaware Park’s 10K-square-foot outdoor slots area, the property’s President and General Manager Terry Glebocki told Casino.org, will be larger than the Bally’s Dover open-air gaming space.

We look forward to offering Delaware’s largest outdoor slot patio. This spacious new patio is designed with our guests in mind. They will soon be able to enjoy the outdoors while playing the area’s best selection of slots, all without compromising comfort or excitement,” Glebocki said.

Delaware Park offers 44 live dealer table games and about 1,900 slot-like video lottery terminals (VLTs) that operate on the Delaware Lottery’s central VLT system. Delaware Park retains about 43% of the slot win and 80% of the table revenue.

Delaware Park Casino outdoor gaming slots
(Image: Delaware Park)

Casino Investments

Delaware Park constructing a $5 million outdoor gaming space, which will be climate-controlled to allow year-round use, comes after the casino underwent a $10 million overhaul.

The $10 million investment refreshed the casino floor by swapping out dark carpets in favor of more colorful, trendy interiors. Old slot row banks that have sat for years were traded out for newer, more popular VLT cabinets.

A “Link Lounge” featuring Buffalo Link, Dragon Link, and Lightning Dollar Link, plus a high-limit room, also opened. The makeover additionally included The Player Rewards Club, a centrally located area where Rewards Club members can check out their latest offers, reprint cards, and engage in promotions.

Following the $10 million overhaul’s completion, Delaware Park returned to 24/7 operations for the first time since before the pandemic.

Top Casino in State

Among Delaware’s three casinos, with Harrington Raceway & Casino the third, Delaware Park has long been the top revenue generator.

During the state’s 2024 fiscal year that ran from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, Delaware Park won almost $168.6 million from the more than $1.97 billion wagered on the casino’s slots. Table games added $25.1 million.

Delaware Park was acquired in the fall of 2021 by Canadian private equity firm Clairvest in a partnership with San Francisco-based Rubico Gaming, LLC, the latter of which is controlled by Thomas Benninger, a savvy gaming investor and former Caesars board member. Clairvest’s gaming/racing ownership positions include the Meadowlands in Northern New Jersey, Centaur Gaming, Rush Street Gaming, Chilean Gaming Holdings, and Thunderbird Resorts.

Clairvest and Rubico’s $90 million acquisition of the casino and racetrack from the Rickman family did not include the nearby White Clay Creek Country Club.

The Rickmans will continue to own the daily-fee 18-hole championship golf course. Kemper Sports manages the facility on the family’s behalf.