Though owner Pinnacle Entertainment hasn't made an official announcement, it appears the grandstand at River Downs will be leveled to make way for a new racetrack gaming facility.
In an e-mail newsletter to subscribers, the Ohio racetrack announced a "public sale" to be held Oct. 19 in the grandstand. Items to be sold include gift shop and promotional items, office furniture, and kitchen equipment.
The newsletter also included a special note: "Grandstand seats will not be available for sale at this event. We will make this information available at a future date."
Racing officials in Ohio have said the Las Vegas-based company plans to demolish the open-air grandstand, and perhaps the aging clubhouse, to build a racetrack gaming facility that will house video lottery terminals.
Kerry Andersen, corporate director of media relations and public affairs for Pinnacle, couldn't be reached Oct. 16 for comment on the company's plans for River Downs.
Pinnacle closed on the purchase of River Downs from private interests in January 2011 for $45 million in cash. Later in 2011 VLTs at racetrack were legalized in Ohio.
Pinnacle also owns Belterra, one of several Indiana casinos located along the Ohio River. Belterra draws from the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky market.
