Broward County's four pari-mutuel venues can start installing slot machines July 1, Circuit Judge Leroy Moe ruled Tuesday in a swift, bluntly worded decision demanding that regulations be created. The slot machine deal passed in the Florida legislature allows 6,000 machines in Broward County.

The Big Easy Casino, formerly known as Mardi Gras Casino and Hollywood Greyhound Track, is a casino and greyhound racing facility located in Hallandale Beach, in the U.S. state of Florida. The casino features over 900 slot machines, virtual table games, free to enter poker tournaments, and nightly entertainment.^[1]

History[edit]

What is now the Big Easy Casino opened as the Hollywood Kennel Club on December 1, 1934, three years after Florida legalized parimutuel betting.^[2] A grandstand was added in 1940. In 1974, the facility was reopened as Hollywood Greyhound Track.^[3]

A November 2004 statewide referendum allowed Broward County voters to decide whether to allow slot machines at parimutuel facilities located in the county.^[4] Broward County voters subsequently approved the use of slots at Hollywood Greyhound and other parimutuels.

An extensive renovation project in 2006 added approximately 1,100 slot machines and a poker room to the dog track, which was renamed Mardi Gras Casino.^[5] Two years later, an additional 200 slot machines were added and, in 2009, the Big Easy Poker Room was relocated and expanded. Also included in the renovated facility were a flea market, several restaurants/bars, and a gift shop.^[6]

In 2015, the casino made further improvements, which included widening the aisles and opening up Louie's Lounge to the entire casino floor.^[7]

In 2017, the facility was closed for two months because of damage from Hurricane Irma.^[8]

In 2018, Jeffrey Soffer, owner of the Fontainebleau Hotel, purchased the Mardi Gras Casino from Hartman & Tyner, and renamed it as the Big Easy Casino.^[9][10][11]

Casino[edit]

Slot Machines Broward County Property Appraiser

The casino offers over 70,000 square feet of gaming space, including over 900 slot machines,^[12] virtual roulette and blackjack,^[13] as well as The Dog Pound, Mardi Gras’ smoker-friendly slot area; simulcast and greyhound racing.

The Big Easy Poker Room, offers over 30 tables of Texas Hold 'em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo. The casino offers low and high limit tables in an effort to accommodate beginner and experienced players.

There are also nightly, free to enter poker tournaments^[14] that can be entered and tracked through the Bravo Poker Mobile App.

Slot Machines Broward County Public Records

Krewe Club[edit]

The Krewe Club is the casino's membership program. Anyone over 21 can become a Krewe Club member, and will receive $25 bonus play when signing up. The Krewe Club is a tiered membership program that includes purple, gold, black, and platinum levels. As club members play in the casino, they earn points that enable them to move up from purple, to gold, to black, and eventually to the invitation only platinum card. Each level gives the card-holder more exclusive benefits, ranging from free valet service to complementary tickets to on-site concerts and events.

Greyhound Racing[edit]

Despite improvements and enhancements over the years, the dog track itself has remained relatively the same. Track specifics include:

• Track Length: 1,372 Feet
• Track Width: 22 Feet
• Length of Stretch: 300 Feet
• Composition: Sand and Marl
• Timing: Hundredth of a Second
• Courses: 550 Yards, 660 Yards and 770 Yards

The casino, which is a supporter of the Adopt-A-Greyhound program, also offers simulcast greyhound racing, harness and thoroughbred racing from tracks across the United States and Canada.

Notable Races[edit]

The track is home to four stakes races:

• Mardi Gras Futurity.
• $75,000 Mardi Gras World Classic.
• $10,000 Joe Ryan Jr. Memorial.
• $50,000 American Derby.

2010 Stakes Schedule^[15]

The $15,000 Mardi Gras FuturityQualifying Rounds BeginJanuary 13 & 16Semi-Final RoundJanuary 20ChampionshipJanuary 23, 2010

Winner: Ls Lafave

Time: 30:60

The $75,000 Mardi Gras World ClassicQualifying Rounds BeginMarch 10 & 13thSemi-Final Rounds BeginMarch 17 & 20thChampionshipMarch 26, 2010

Winner: Oya Tom Terrific

Time: 30:51

The $10,000 Joe Ryan, Jr. MemorialChampionshipApril 2, 2010

Winner: Funnelling Money

Time: 30:16

The $30,000 HollywoodianQualifying Rounds BeginApril 21 & 24thSemi-Final Rounds BeginApril 28 & May 1ChampionshipMay 8, 2010

Winner: Crispins Place

Time: 37:55

Hollywood World Classic History - Past Winners[edit]

Dining[edit]

Dining options at the facility offer a mix of Cajun and American cuisine, ranging from fast casual to upscale, including:

• The Mezz Grill is a casual bar, offering sandwiches, pizza, and snacks.
• Café Orleans, featuring soups, sandwiches, salads and fresh baked goods.
• Louie's Lounge, the full service premium bar dedicated to the Big Easy Poker Room that has a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and a special late night menu.
• The French Quarter, which is the casino's signature restaurant. This restaurant offers high-end cuisine, such as lobster, steak, and crab cakes.^[16]

Events and Entertainment[edit]

The property has several entertainment venues that host nightly performances and year-round events, including concerts, stand-up comedy, dance competitions, and MMA fights.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Slots, Poker, Greyhound Racing | Mardi Gras Casino'. Mardi Gras Casino. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
2. ^Saunders, Mike (Apr 1, 1988). 'Greyhound racing a good entertainment bet whether or not you place a bet'. Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
3. ^'South Florida casino and gaming guide'. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Apr 27, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
4. ^Burstein, Jon (Dec 28, 2006). 'Slots will be running at greyhound track today'. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
5. ^http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/mardi-gras-gaming-centre-opens-soon-163243
6. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-04-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. ^Mardi Gras Casino (2015-11-12), Check out the renovations at Mardi Gras Casino!, retrieved 2016-06-17
8. ^David Raterman (November 29, 2017). 'Damaged by Hurricane Irma, Mardi Gras Casino reopening in Hallandale Beach'. Sun-Sentinel. Deerfield Beach, FL. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
9. ^Brian Bandell (April 25, 2018). 'Soffer buys Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach'. South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
10. ^David Raterman (May 2, 2018). 'A new name for Mardi Gras'. Sun-Sentinel. Deerfield Beach, FL. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
11. ^Rene Rodriguez; Douglas Hanks; Mary Ellen Klas (January 12, 2018). 'Fontainebleau owner Jeff Soffer buying Mardi Gras casino in Hallandale Beach'. Miami Herald. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
12. ^'Florida Slot Machines | Mardi Gras Casino'. Mardi Gras Casino. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
13. ^'Florida Virtual Table Games | Mardi Gras Casino'. Mardi Gras Casino. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
14. ^'Florida Poker Tournaments | Mardi Gras Casino'. Mardi Gras Casino. Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
15. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2010-04-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
16. ^http://www.casinocity.com/us/fl/hallandalebeach/flhollyw/

External links[edit]

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South Florida’s racetrack casinos paid $187.9 million in taxes on slot machines this past fiscal year, surpassing last year’s record of $182.5 million. Miami was mostly up, Broward generally down.

Slot Machines Broward County Public Records

The state receives 35 percent of casino slot revenues. The eight casinos at horse tracks, dog tracks, and jai-alai frontons garnered $537 million via slots in the year ending June 30, according to state figures. That’s about a 3 percent increase from the $521 million the casinos made in 2014-15.

Slots at racetrack casinos are legal only in South Florida, thanks to a 2004 constitutional amendment approved by 50.8 percent of Florida voters. Broward and Miami-Dade then had separate referendums as well.

While $187 million is nothing to sneeze at, it’s still far less than was expected more than a decade ago. Back in 2004, proponents of the slot referendum said the machines could raise up to $500 million per year in taxes. The state’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research at the time, comparing revenues from similar casinos, estimated slots would generate $200 million to $500 million, depending on the tax rate set by the legislature. Florida slots started off at a 50 percent tax rate, then dropped to 35 percent in 2010.

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That said, all Miami-Dade casinos improved from last year: Magic City Casino again led the way, making $83.5 million, up almost $3 million. Calder improved $1 million to $74 million, followed by Hialeah Park ($68 million) and Casino Miami ($61 million), both of which took in about $4 million more than last year.

Interestingly, the three established casinos in Broward County all dropped, but the newly reopened Casino at Dania Beach made up for it, so overall the county slot haul increased. The Isle Casino continues to be South Florida’s leader, although it dropped more than $2 million to $143 million. The casino, based in Pompano Beach, has the good fortune to be close to Palm Beach County, which does not allow slots. Isle officials say about one-third of their business comes from across the county line. (And if you hadn't noticed, there’s some money in Boca Raton.)

Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino again barely held its lead over Hallandale Beach rival Mardi Gras. Each casino is down about $1 million from last year, with Gulfstream earning $48 million and Mardi Gras $46.8 million. Both likely were dinged by the reopening of Dania Beach, although the remodeled jai-alai fronton lags far behind ($11 million).

Slots are where the money is at. While South Florida slot revenues were at $537 million combined, the area’s poker rooms took in only $41 million.

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Seminole casinos aren’t required to reveal their slot revenues, although overall their seven casinos in Florida took in about $2.2 billion with slots, table games, and poker. The Seminoles make payments to the state of about 12 percent on their revenues, and by extrapolating figures from public records, I once wrote that the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood makes as much as all the South Florida pari-mutuels combined. The Miccosukee tribe, which runs a casino in west Miami-Dade, has no agreement with the state, so its revenue figures are secret.

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State figures also report casinos’ payback percentages. Hialeah, Casino Miami, and Magic City, all within a few miles of each other, are extremely competitive and lead the area with percentages at about 93.5 percent. The Isle continues to tighten up, from 92.88 percent two years ago to 91.57 last year to 90.98 currently The casino is one of the gems for the St. Louis-based Isle chain, so this is likely necessary to keep stockholders happy.

Each slot machine has a programmable chip that casino managers can use to determine how much a machine pays out, although each individual spin and result is determined by a random number generator. (So over a short time, one jackpot can skew payback percentages, but over a year it pretty much evens out.) A slot costing $1 per spin often has a payback percentage of 97 percent; machines costing just one cent often pay only 85 percent. (This gives knowledgeable slot players an incentive to play higher-denomination games. It's just good business.)

Tax money via slots could grow quickly after a Florida Supreme Court case is decided. The justices are considering whether language in a state bill that allowed Hialeah to add slots applies to other jurisdictions. If so, at least six Florida counties could be adding slots.

Get daily gambling news at southfloridagambling.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSortal.

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