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47-550: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a casino , hotel and thoroughbred horse racing complex located in Charles Town, West Virginia , 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Washington D.C. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment . The track opened on December 2, 1933. It was the first horse track to open in West Virginia, following the legalization of parimutuel wagering earlier in

94-472: A $ 175-million upgrade of the venue. These upgrades included the addition of simulcast racing, numerous dining options, and 3,500 slot machines . Penn National bought out Bryant Development's 11-percent stake in the property in 2000 for $ 6 million. West Virginia legislators in 2007 authorized table games at the state's race tracks, subject to a local referendum in each county. Jefferson County voters rejected table games at Charles Town later that year. A hotel

141-1002: A Schleswig-Holstein licence. AWPs are governed by federal law – the Trade Regulation Act and the Gaming Ordinance. The Casino Estoril , located in the municipality of Cascais , on the Portuguese Riviera , near Lisbon , is the largest casino in Europe by capacity. During the World War II , it was reputed to be a gathering point for spies , dispossessed royals , and wartime adventurers; it became an inspiration for Ian Fleming 's James Bond 007 novel Casino Royale . There are four legal gaming zones in Russia: "Siberian Coin" (Altay), "Yantarnaya" (Kaliningrad region), "Azov-city" (Rostov region) and "Primorie" (Primorie region). Singapore

188-476: A food court, sports bar, fine dining restaurant, and the Skyline Terrace which overlooks the track. However, while a hot buffet breakfast is served at the hotel, the previously mentioned dining facilities are not located in the hotel. The property offers a shuttle between the hotel and casino/racetrack for its patrons. On December 5, 2009, a second referendum was held on table games and this time voters approved

235-529: A group of local businesspersons for approximately $ 12 million. During the 1990s, purses fell, leading to dwindling attendance and fewer high-caliber horses. The track's future was in serious doubt, and many observers feared the facility would close for good. Then, during the fall of 1996, voters approved video lottery machines at Charles Town. The track was then sold in early 1997 to a joint venture of Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) and Bryant Development Company for $ 16.5 million. The new owners began

282-515: A house. The term casino may mean a small country villa , summerhouse , or social club . During the 19th century, casino came to include other public buildings where pleasurable activities took place; such edifices were usually built on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo , and were used to host civic town functions, including dancing, gambling, music listening, and sports. Examples in Italy include Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia , and in

329-524: A pleasant albeit unidentifiable odor released by Las Vegas slot machines generated about 50% more in daily revenue. He suggested that the scent acted as an aphrodisiac, causing a more aggressive form of gambling. The following lists major casino markets in the world with casino revenue of over US$ 1 billion as published in PricewaterhouseCoopers 's report on the outlook for the global casino market: According to Bloomberg , accumulated revenue of

376-821: A rise in the number of casinos outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. In Vietnam , the term "casinos" encompasses gambling activities within the country . Unofficially defined, a "casino" typically denotes a well-established and professional gambling establishment that is generally lawful but exclusively caters to foreign players. On the other hand, "gambling houses" or "gambling dens" are smaller, illicit gambling venues. As of 2022, Vietnam has 9 operating casinos, including: Đồ Sơn casino (Hải Phòng), Lợi Lai casino, Hoàng Gia casino ( Quảng Ninh ), Hồng Vận casino ( Quảng Ninh ), Lào Cai casino ( Lào Cai ), Silver Shores casino (Đà Nẵng), Hồ Tràm casino (Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu), Nam Hội An casino (Quảng Nam), Phú Quốc casino in Kien Giang . In

423-538: A survey conducted by the Vietnamese Institute for Sustainable Regional Development and released on September 30, 2015, it was found that 71% of the respondents held the belief that allowing Vietnamese individuals to access casinos would result in an increase in the number of players. Furthermore, 47.4% of the participants expressed the view that engaging in rewarding recreational activities has a positive impact on job opportunities for residents. Additionally, 46.2% of

470-518: Is an up-and-coming destination for visitors wanting to gamble, although there are currently only two casinos (both foreign owned), in Singapore. The Marina Bay Sands is the second most expensive standalone casino in the world, at a price of US$ 6.8 billion, and is among the world's ten most expensive buildings . With currently over 1,000 casinos, the United States has the largest number of casinos in

517-546: Is based on real people and events; however, many of those events are contested by main character Semyon Dukach . Monte Carlo Casino has also been featured in multiple James Bond novels and films. The casino is mentioned in the song " The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo " as well as the film of the same name . Casinò di Campione is located in the tiny Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia , within Ticino , Switzerland. The casino

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564-468: Is different. Most casinos do not meet the requirements for certain protective measures, such as protection against airborne metal dusts from coins or hearing protection against high noise levels, though these measures are still implemented when evaluated and determined necessary. Researcher (horse) Researcher (foaled May 5, 2004, in Virginia ) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who competed mostly in

611-535: Is every horseman's dream..."—a "push button" horse [3] , known for his adaptability. Researcher became a "millionaire" on April 17, 2010, when he earned $ 600,000 for winning the 2nd Annual $ 1 Million Charles Town Classic. (He had previously earned $ 800,129.) As of April 20, 2010, Researcher is listed as 2010's 4th Leading Money Earner [4] in North America. Researcher earned a record 133 Equibase Speed Figure in 2009's Inaugural Charles Town Classic . Researcher

658-680: Is filled with stories of entertainment based on games of chance. The first known European gambling house, not called a casino although meeting the modern definition, was the Ridotto , established in Venice , Italy, in 1638 by the Great Council of Venice to provide controlled gambling during the carnival season. It was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry . In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons . The creation and importance of saloons

705-485: Is usually divided between a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The physical security force usually patrols the casino and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance department operates the casino's closed-circuit-television system, known in the industry as the eye in the sky . Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure

752-613: The American Mafia and in Macau by Triad syndicates . According to some police reports, local incidence of reported crime often doubles or triples within three years of a casino's opening. In a 2004 report by the US Department of Justice, researchers interviewed people who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines and found that the percentage of problem or pathological gamblers among

799-598: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology , highlights the decision of the audio directors at Silicon Gaming to make its slot machines resonate in "the universally pleasant tone of C, sampling existing casino soundscapes to create a sound that would please but not clash". Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago , studied the impact of certain scents on gamblers, discerning that

846-421: The $ 100,000 Lady Charles Town for 3-year-old fillies at 4½ furlongs, the $ 100,000 West Virginia Sprint Derby for 3-year-olds at 4½ furlongs, and the $ 100,000 Red Legend Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs. In 1987, NFL Hall of Fame Sam Huff organized the first West Virginia Breeders’ Classics. Local favorite Onion Juice won the inaugural running and the state's first $ 100,000 purse. In 2009, it inaugurated

893-528: The Charles Town Classic for older horses running a distance of one and 1/8 mile. The purse was "tiered" and was determined by the graded status of the winner. The purse's range was from between $ 500,000 and $ 1,000,000. Researcher won the 1st and 2nd Charles Town Classic races. In 2013, the purse was increased to $ 1,500,000 with the winner receiving $ 1,000,000, making the Grade 3 Charles Town Classic one of

940-680: The US the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island . In modern-day Italian, a casino is a brothel (also called casa chiusa , literally "closed house"), a mess (confusing situation), or a noisy environment; a gaming house is spelt casinò , with an accent . Not all casinos are used for gaming. The Catalina Casino , on Santa Catalina Island, California , has never been used for traditional games of chance, which were already outlawed in California by

987-435: The US's second largest gambling city. Most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age of 18 to 21. Customers gamble by playing games of chance , in some cases with an element of skill, such as craps , roulette , baccarat , blackjack , and video poker . Most games have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an advantage over the players. This can be expressed more precisely by

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1034-453: The United States say that a player staking money won from the casino is "playing with the house's money". Video lottery machines ( slot machines ) have become one of the most popular forms of gambling in casinos. As of 2011 investigative reports have started calling into question whether the modern-day slot-machine is addictive. Factors influencing gambling tendencies include sound, odour and lighting. Natasha Dow Schüll, an anthropologist at

1081-828: The United States. He was bred by the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc. A horse from the most humble beginnings [1] , Researcher was bought by Rutledge Farm (Mr. Hermen Greenberg), in 2005, as a $ 5,000 charitable donation [2] to the Virginia Tech Foundation's M.A.R.E Center, in Middleburg, Virginia. One year after winning the 1st Charles Town Classic, and only a few days before winning the 2nd Charles Town Classic, April 16, 2010, Mr. Zohar Ben-Dov (Kinross Farm) bought Researcher from Mr. Greenberg's estate, for an undisclosed sum. ( Mr. Greenberg died February 28, 2010.) A rare combination of stamina and speed, "Researcher

1128-405: The arrestees was three to five times higher than in the general population. It has been said that economic studies showing a positive relationship between casinos and crime usually fail to consider the visiting population: they count crimes committed by visitors but do not count visitors in the population measure, which overstates the crime rate. Part of the reason this methodology is used, despite

1175-452: The biggest casino operator companies worldwide amounted to almost US$ 55 billion in 2011. SJM Holdings Ltd. was the leading company in this field, earning $ 9.7 bn in 2011, followed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. at $ 7.4 bn. The third-biggest casino operator company (based on revenue) was Caesars Entertainment , with revenue of US$ 6.2 bn. While there are casinos in many places, a few places have become well known specifically for gambling. Perhaps

1222-637: The cards they are holding in their hands visible at all times. Over the past few decades, casinos have developed many different marketing techniques for attracting and maintaining loyal patrons. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track players' spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot play and other promotions. Casino Helsinki in Helsinki , Finland, for example, donates all of its profits to charity. Casinos have been linked to organised crime , with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated by

1269-616: The historic casino located at the princely residence of Dragonara . Dragonara Palace was built in 1870. Its name comes from the Dragonara Point, the peninsula where it is built. On 15 July 1964, the palace opened as a casino. The former Portuguese colony of Macau , a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China since 1999, is a popular destination for visitors who wish to gamble. This started in Portuguese times, when Macau

1316-403: The imposition of taxes, or obtaining of other revenue. In 2007, the casino moved into new premises of more than 55,000 square metres (590,000 sq ft), making it the largest casino in Europe. The new casino was built alongside the old one, which dated from 1933 and has since been demolished. The archipelago of Malta is a particularly famous place for casinos, standing out mainly with

1363-438: The largest concentration of casinos in the United States. Based on revenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey , ranks second, and the Chicago region third. Top American casino markets by revenue (2022 annual revenues): The Nevada Gaming Control Board divides Clark County , which is coextensive with the Las Vegas metropolitan area, into seven market regions for reporting purposes. Native American gaming has been responsible for

1410-405: The notion of expected value , which is uniformly negative (from the player's perspective). This advantage is called the house edge . In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake . Casinos sometimes give out complimentary items or comps to gamblers. Payout is the percentage of funds ("winnings") returned to players. Casinos in

1457-492: The only northern track to hold races during the winter season, and they were right. Even with freezing temperatures and odds being calculated by slide rule , the grandstand overflowed. Train service from Baltimore boosted attendance, and the track continued to thrive through World War II . The facility attracted many notable guests, including J. Edgar Hoover , who was a regular visitor, and John F. Kennedy during his campaign for Presidency . Shenandoah Corporation purchased

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1504-450: The overstatement, is that reliable data on tourist count are often not available. Casinos are subject to specific regulations for worker safety, as casino employees are both at greater risk for cancers resulting from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and musculoskeletal injuries from repetitive motions while running table games over many hours. These are not the extent of the hazards casino workers may be exposed to, but every location

1551-526: The place almost defined by its casino is Monte Carlo, but other places are known as gambling centers. Monte Carlo Casino , located in Monte Carlo city, in Monaco , is a casino and a tourist attraction. Monte Carlo Casino has been depicted in many books, including Ben Mezrich 's Busting Vegas , where a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students beat the casino out of nearly $ 1 million. This book

1598-422: The referendum to allow table games at the venue. As of July 2, 2010, the facility, for years known as "Charles Town Races & Slots," was renamed "Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races". On August 30, 2018, sports betting began at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The casino is the first in West Virginia to offer sports betting. Casino Casino is of Italian origin; the root casa means

1645-420: The respondents believed that such activities contribute positively to Vietnam's ability to attract investments. Given the large amounts of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat and steal, in collusion or independently; most casinos have security measures to prevent this. Security cameras located throughout the casino are the most basic measure. Modern casino security

1692-465: The richest Thoroughbred race contested in U.S. surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race has attracted top-class performers including Game On Dude and Shared Belief . The following Graded events were held at Charles Town Races in 2019. Grade III Also on the property is a 153-room hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, and several dining facilities including:

1739-596: The safety of both guests and the casino's assets, and have been quite successful in preventing crime. Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one way glass, on the activities at the tables and slot machines. When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full-time on all table games. In addition to cameras and other technological measures, casinos also enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior; for example, players at card games are required to keep

1786-563: The time it was built. The Copenhagen Casino was a Danish theatre which also held public meetings during the 1848 Revolution , which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy . In military and non-military usage, a casino (Spanish) or Kasino (German) is an officers' mess . The precise origin of gambling is unknown. It is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From Ancient Mesopotamia , Greeks and Romans to Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England , much of history

1833-465: The track in 1971 for $ 6 million. Shenandoah Corporation also owned Shenandoah Downs , which was Charles Town Races only competitor. After the closure of Shenandoah Downs in 1975, year-round racing was moved to Charles Town. Shenandoah Corporation was acquired in 1977 by Kenton Corporation, which then merged with Rapid-American Corporation in 1981. In 1983, Rapid-American sold the Charles Town track to

1880-443: The world. The number continues to grow steadily as more states seek to legalize casinos. 40 states now have some form of casino gambling. Interstate competition, such as gaining tourism, has been a driving factor to continuous legalization. Relatively small places such as Las Vegas are best known for gambling; larger cities such as Chicago are not defined by their casinos in spite of the large turnover. The Las Vegas Valley has

1927-613: The year. It was developed and operated by the Shenandoah Valley Jockey Club, led by Joseph Boyle. It became America's first winter race meet upon its opening. The facility, located on the former grounds of the Charles Town Horse Show, was constructed in two months at a cost of $ 160,000 (a huge sum during the height of the Great Depression ). The developers believed that it would draw large crowds due to it being

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1974-459: Was added to the property in 2008, with 153 rooms. In 2009, a second referendum was held, and county voters approved table games for Charles Town. Table games were added to the gaming floor in 2010, and Charles Town Races and Slots became Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, adopting the Hollywood brand used for several of Penn National's other properties. An event center for live concerts and shows

2021-620: Was also added. Charles Town thrived for years as the closest gambling option for residents of the Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area , until Maryland legalized casinos. Starting in 2012, competition from casinos in the Baltimore area took a heavy toll on Charles Town's business. In 2008, the track inaugurated The Sprint Festival, four open stakes worth a total of $ 500,000. These are the 4½ furlong $ 200,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash for colts and geldings three-years-old and up,

2068-507: Was founded in 1917 as a site to gather information from foreign diplomats during the First World War. Today it is owned by the Italian government, and operated by the municipality. With gambling laws being less strict than in Italy and Switzerland, it is among the most popular gambling destination besides Monte Carlo. The income from the casino is sufficient for the operation of Campione without

2115-534: Was greatly influenced by four major cities: New Orleans , St. Louis , Chicago and San Francisco . It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in the US, gambling was outlawed by state legislation. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada , where the US's first legalized casinos were set up. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City , now

2162-443: Was popular with visitors from nearby Hong Kong , where gambling was more closely regulated. The Venetian Macao is currently the largest casino in the world. Macau also surpassed Las Vegas as the largest gambling market in the world. Machine-based gaming is only permitted in land-based casinos, restaurants, bars and gaming halls, and only subject to a licence. Online slots are, at the moment, only permitted if they are operated under

2209-467: Was the lone local horse, in a 10-horse field, when he beat Commentator to steal the show [5] at Charles Town Races and Slots, winning the 1st Annual Charles Town Classic , on April 18, 2009. On April 17, 2010, Researcher defended his title [6] , in the 2nd Annual $ 1 million Charles Town Classic by winning over a game Awesome Gem . His time was just a fraction off the track's record he set on 3/28/2009. repeated The late Hermen Greenberg’s Researcher

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