Owned by Delaware North Race type Greyhound | Date opened 1866 | |
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Location Wheeling, West Virginia | ||
Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack (formerly Wheeling Downs) is located on Wheeling Island in the middle of the Ohio River, which is a part of the city of Wheeling, West Virginia. It is located just off the Wheeling Island exit of I-70, 40 minutes west of Washington, Pennsylvania and about two hours east of Columbus, Ohio. It is owned by Delaware North.
It features slot machines, which are marketed under the term "video lottery" in West Virginia; live greyhound racing, and off-track betting for both greyhound and horse racing. In addition, a full complement of table games including poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette were recently added. Poker was added on October 19, 2007, and the other games on December 20, 2007 as a result of Ohio County voters approving a referendum in a June 9, 2007 special election.
Wheeling Island features several restaurants and food operations as well, in addition to live concerts and boxing.
The facility has a "tropical" theme, similar to that used by the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but is unrelated. Its logo features a palm tree and tropical colors, although Wheeling Island is a residential part of the city and located far from the tropics. Smoking is permitted at the casino tables and slots. As the casino is located on Wheeling Island, a low-lying area surrounded by the Ohio River, it is prone to flooding. The casino floor is elevated some ten-and-one-half feet above ground level, thus surmounting the hundred-year flood level.
Wheeling Downs introduced greyhound racing in 1976, under the ownership of the Ogden Corporation, who bought the track in 1969. In 1988, Ogden sold Wheeling Downs to Delaware North. From 1994 to 2001, Delaware North co-owned Wheeling Downs with Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel.
The casino became the permanent location of the Wheeling Jamboree in the fall of 2012.