Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack
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.
1940s postcard showing grandstand | |
Location | Wheeling, West Virginia |
---|---|
Owned by | Delaware North |
Date opened | 1866 |
Race type | Greyhound |
Official website |
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 in select areas of the casino. 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.[1][2] In 1988, Ogden sold Wheeling Downs to Delaware North.[3] From 1994 to 2001, Delaware North co-owned Wheeling Downs with Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel.[4][5]
The casino became the permanent location of the Wheeling Jamboree in the fall of 2012.