Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course has been approved to make several schedule and wagering changes.
The changes, approved by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, include a shift in racing days each week. Beginning in September, live racing will return to a Wednesday-through-Saturday night schedule; Wednesday and Thursday cards will replace the current Monday and Tuesday night programs.
“There are a limited number of tracks running on Monday and Tuesday nights, and we tried to capture a share of the full-card bettors,” Penn National vice president of racing Mark Loewe said in a statement. “The move didn’t generate the interest we had hoped for. Penn National has a long traditional niche for fans in the latter part of the week, and we are going return to that position.”
Loewe said Tuesday racing will return in mid-October to make up for days lost this past winter.
Beginning July 1 and continuing every Friday and Saturday night in July, Penn National will offer a Pick 5 wager with a $10,000 guaranteed minimum pool on races 3-7. The minimum bet will be 50 cents, and the early Pick 4 will not be offered on those nights.
Also beginning July 1, the pari-mutuel takeout rate on the Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5 will be 25%, and the minimum bet on the Pick 3 and Pick 4 will be reduced from $1 to 50 cents.
In another change, post time for the Monday, July 4, program will move up to 5 p.m. EDT from 6 p.m.