After a multi-billion dollar merger, Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson will now be run by the largest casino and entertainment company in the US.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann has an update on how a merger will likely bring improvements to the venue.

(Map: Caesars Entertainment Corporation)

Hoosier Park is currently owned by Eldorado Resorts, which as of Monday bought out Caesars Entertainment.  The combined effort, operating under the Caesars Entertainment name, now owns 55 casino properties worldwide.  It will operate five in Indiana, including the two horse racing tracks in Anderson and Shelbyville.

As a condition of the merger being approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission earlier this month, the company needs to start a $25 million fund for major projects and improvements to the horse racing venues, to be spent over 10 years.

Caesars Chief Financial Officer Bret Yunker tells the Herald Bulletin that includes plans to expand both the racing and gaming sides of the properties, making them what he calls the “best in-class facilities in Indiana.”

A statewide gaming expansion allowed live table games in Anderson and Shelbyville for the first time in January, something both locations sought for years.  Fiscal analysts projected the new games would generate more than $15 million in revenue for the state in the first couple of years.  But because of the coronavirus pandemic, all casinos were shuttered for three months this year, cutting off profits.