Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races plans to ask state regulators Jan. 21 for approval to spend almost $200,000 for surveillance equipment for its stable area.
The capital improvement requests include $101,000 for surveillance cameras in the barn area, $67,000 for an upgrade of surveillance recording equipment, and $24,000 for other surveillance equipment.
The funds would come from a special video lottery terminal capital improvement account for racing-related projects. The West Virginia Racing Commission regularly reviews such requests and decides whether to approve them or reject them based on their connection to horse racing.
Erich Zimny, vice president of racing operations at Charles Town, said track officials hope it's the start of a long-term project.
"The plan doesn't call for a camera in every stall, but we're attempting to get surveillance coverage on at least the shedrows," Zimny said Jan. 16. "Our hope is to have them in every barn."
Charles Town has roughly 20 barns on its property.
