Hoosier Park plans to add 150 slot machines and 16 new table games to the casino as part of a $39 million expansion project expected to be completed in July 2023. File photo | The Herald Bulletin
Hoosier Park expansion plans
ANDERSON — There will soon be more room to play at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
Caesar's Entertainment, Inc., Hoosier Park’s parent company, has formally announced plans to invest $39 million to expand the casino’s gaming floor, an enhancement executives say underscores the company’s commitment to racing and gaming in Madison County and elsewhere in Indiana.
The project, for which a formal groundbreaking is planned on May 12, will add about 30,000 square feet to the northwest end of the casino, according to a press release. The extra space will house 150 new slot machines and an additional 16 table games, officials said.
“The enhancements at Harrah’s Hoosier Park further exhibit Caesar’s Entertainment’s commitment to gaming in the state of Indiana,” said Anthony Carano, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “We are thrilled to unveil our exciting plans for the expansion of Harrah’s Hoosier Park. We’re confident these changes will benefit our guests and our team members.”
Other additions will include a high limit space, a casino bar featuring hand-crafted cocktails and a quick-serve restaurant accessible directly from the casino floor.
The expansion, noted Trent McIntosh, senior vice president and general manager at Hoosier Park, will further boost the facility’s profile among the state’s gaming destinations.
“The growth of Harrah’s Hoosier Park will continue to allow us to bring the best in racing and gaming options to our guests,” McIntosh said. “With the addition of a new high limit room and gaming tables, new food and beverage offerings and upgraded design concepts, we’re elevating ourselves as one of the best gaming destinations in Indiana.”
Officials also anticipate substantial economic benefits from the expansion. The project is expected to add 100 new jobs and generate millions in local and state gaming tax revenues.
“It is certainly a huge investment for our community,” Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. said. “It certainly means more jobs and increasing the tax base and expanding entertainment activities for folks as well. We certainly appreciate Caesars’ commitment to our community.”
Broderick added that the city currently budgets slightly more than $2.6 million annually for tax revenues from Hoosier Park, a figure that could increase once the expanded space comes online next year.
“That’s a substantial amount,” he said. “We use it in several of our departments, and if we didn’t have that money, it really would put us in a tight position.”
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