Ocean Downs casino management addresses concerns

OCEAN PINES -- The general manager of the casino at Ocean Downs assured Pines residents that the facility set to open in December would not be just another warehouse building full of slot machines.

Joe Cavilla also assured the standing-room-only crowd at County Commissioner

Judy Boggs' town meeting that live racing would return to the facility."It is our intention to bring back horse racing next year," Cavilla said.He said dates had not been finalized but management was planning on offering 40 days of racing as it had in past years. In response to a question from the audience, Cavilla explained that children would still be able to come watch the races although, because the grandstand was being transformed to a 21-and-over slots facility, they would have to walk around the building to the stadium seating and concessions set up alongside the track.Cavilla said the casino, which was set to open in mid-December, would not be a Vegas-style facility with a hotel and table games."We don't have the intention of turning Route 589 into a neon-strewn roadway," he said. "We're going to capitalize on the fact that Ocean Downs is a well-recognized brand in the area."The building under construction at the racetrack, in the same footprint as the former grandstand, will be three stories, he said, housing slots and a bar on the first floor and offices on the second floor. The Clubhouse, where Pacers Restaurant is, will stay the way it is for the time being, although the restaurant will be open more frequently once the slots facility is up and running, he said.As far as the slots machines themselves, Cavilla said there will initially be 750 of the latest machines from 11 manufacturers. While Ocean Downs is licensed for 800 machines, Cavilla said management decided to hold off on ordering the last 50 until they see what the most popular games are."We believe we'll have one of the best mixes (of games) we've seen in the new facilities," he said.Games will include the traditional slots as well as electronic roulette and electronic blackjack, for which there will be no physical cards or chips but the same math behind the game, Cavilla said.

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Ocean Downs casino management addresses concerns - Delmarva Daily Times