Ninbank

See a game you like, but don’t know how to play? We’ve got you covered! We offer a 24-hour instructional table that will teach you any game and make you master of your domain. Seated players even have the option to take the bank's position on all of our California games!

Hollywood Park, later sold and referred to as Betfair Hollywood Park, was a thoroughbredrace course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena.^[1][2] In 1994 Hollywood Park Casino, with a pokercard room, was added to the racetrack complex.^[1] Horse racing and training were shut down in December 2013 though the casino operations continued while a new state of the art casino building opened in October 2016.^[1][2]

About hollywood park casino The All-New Hollywood Park Casino Hollywood Park Casino has completed an exciting and major revitalization in 2016 that has transform. Hollywood Park Casino is a California style player-banked casino. Buses bring in players from all over the Los Angeles area. A bus bringing in players to Hollywood Park Casino. The casino is very nice, with nice touches to draw in the affluent gambler.

The former horse racetrack area will be the site of SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL), when the stadium is completed in 2020. Until then, the Rams temporarily play home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Downtown Los Angeles and the Chargers play at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

• 1History
  • 1.3Sale and later developments

History[edit]

Founding and early years[edit]

The track was opened on June 10, 1938 by the Hollywood Turf Club^[3] the racetrack was designed by noted racetrack architect Arthur Froehlich. Its chairman was Jack L. Warner^[3] of the Warner Bros. film studio. Prominent shareholders included Jack Warner's brother and fellow Warner Bros. executive Harry, Hollywood studio executives Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck, actors Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Joan Blondell, George Jessel, Ronald Colman and Ralph Bellamy. In addition to being shareholders film directors Raoul Walsh and Mervyn LeRoy were also founding members of the track's Board of Directors with Jack and Harry Warner and Al Jolson.

War closure and rebuilding[edit]

Hollywood Park Casino California

Hollywood Park closed from 1942 to 1944 due to World War II, where it was used as a storage facility. In 1949, the grandstand and clubhouse were destroyed by a fire; the rebuilt facility reopened in 1950. In 1984, the racetrack was extended from one mile (1.6 km) around to 1¹⁄₈ miles (1.8 km) around prior to the first Breeders Cup race.^{[citation needed]}Harness racing also took place at Hollywood Park.^[4]

By the late 1980s the racetrack Hollywood Park, though frequented by celebrities, was near the point of bankruptcy.^[5] As of 1989, a group of investors was working to buy Los Alamitos Racetrack in California for $68 million.^[6] Los Alamitos, owned by Hollywood Park, was still under its original ownership as of 1991, though a significant portion of the stock had been bought by external investors.^[7][8]RD Hubbard became CEO of Hollywood Park in April 1991, after having purchased a portion of the company's stock in late 1990.^[5] He was assisted in the ouster of the former chairman Marje Everett, who had run Hollywood Park since 1972, by company shareholder Tom Gamel and sports businessman Harry Ornest.^[7] In 1991 $20 million was spent improving the racetrack. That year the park earned its first profit in five years, and despite rioting in nearby Los Angeles in 1992, annual profits that year increased to $5.4 million.^[5] By 1993, the Los Angeles Times wrote that 'shareholders at Hollywood Park... are enjoying substantial investment gains.'^[9] A card club casino was added to the complex in 1994,^{[citation needed]} as Hollywood Park underwent a $100 million expansion into Hollywood Park Casino, which opened in the summer of 1994. Also in 1994, Hollywood Park Inc. purchased the Arizona-based Turf Paradise Race Track for $34 million in stock.^[5]

In May 1995 after the departure of the Rams for St. Louis, the owners of the National Football League teams approved with a 27-1 vote with two abstentions, a resolution supporting a plan to build a $200 million, privately financed stadium on property owned by Hollywood Park for the Los Angeles Raiders.^[10] Then Raiders owner Al Davis balked and refused the deal over a stipulation that he would have had to accept a second team at the stadium. After the deal fell through the Raiders returned to Oakland, California.

Hollywood Park Inc. suffered losses in 1995, though at the end of 1996, Hollywood Park bought Boomtown, Inc. for $188 million. Boomtown operated and owned casinos in several cities such as Las Vegas and New Orleans. Boomtown merged with the casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment in 1998. Hollywood Park was purchased by Churchill Downs Incorporated on September 10, 1999^[5] for $140 million.^{[citation needed]} Churchill Downs acquired Hollywood Park-Casino in the process, which was in turn leased by Hollywood Park Inc. (later named Pinnacle Entertainment).^[5] The previous owners of the track renamed their company Pinnacle Entertainment to concentrate on its gambling interests.^{[citation needed]}

Sale and later developments[edit]

In July 2005, Churchill Downs Incorporated sold the track to the Bay Meadows Land Company which was owned by Stockbridge Capital Group for $260 million in cash.^[11] Under the terms of the deal, the company, which at the time also operated Bay Meadows in San Mateo, was to continue thoroughbred racing at Hollywood Park for at least three years. According to Bay Meadows officials, the continuation of Hollywood Park as a racing venue after that depended on California allowing more gambling, like slot machines, to the track.^[12]

Some of the Hollywood Park land was sold to real estate developers to build a new housing community called the Inglewood Renaissance. Development began in 2005.

New grass was planted on the turf course after Hollywood Park's spring-summer meet in 2005. Due to safety concerns, however, turf racing was not conducted for that year's autumn meet. As a result, several major stakes races that comprised Hollywood's Autumn Turf Festival were cancelled that year.

After the conclusion of Hollywood's spring-summer meet in 2006, it was announced that a second chute would be built inside the turf course to accommodate sprint races at six furlongs. This followed a similar move by Monmouth Park to build a turf chute for sprint races.

In 2010, Hollywood Park played host for the first time to Oak Tree.^[13]

Betfair/Hollywood Park Agreement[edit]

The Hollywood Park Racing Association and Betfair US, the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Betfair that also owns TVG Network, completed a historic agreement March 13, 2012 intended to transform the customer experience for fans at the venue as well as online and on television. Under terms of the five-year deal, Hollywood Park was renamed 'Betfair Hollywood Park in what was the first naming rights agreement for a horse racing venue in the United States.^[3]

Closure and redevelopment[edit]

On May 9, 2013 in a letter to employees, Hollywood Park president F. Jack Liebau announced that the track would be closing at the end of their fall racing season in 2013. In the letter, Liebau stated that the 260 acres on which the track sits 'now simply has a higher and better use', and that 'in the absence of a favorable change in racing's business model, the ultimate development of the Hollywood property was inevitable'. It was expected that the track would be demolished and replaced by housing units, park land and an entertainment complex, while the casino would be renovated.

On December 22, 2013 at 6:11pm the final race^[14] was run with Woodsman Luck taking first place, Depreciable in second place and Danderek in third place, concluding 75 years of near-continuous racing in Southern California. The complex was demolished in 2014 to make way for a new residential complex.

In 2014, Stan Kroenke, owner of the NFL's St. Louis Rams, purchased a 60-acre parcel of land adjacent to the track property and The Forum with the intentions of building a National Football League stadium on the land.^[15] Kroenke's 60 acres was not big enough for an NFL stadium and parking, but his announced partnership for the neighboring track land with Stockbridge Capital Group, would fold the stadium into the larger office/retail/residential project planned for the track site by master planner Hart Howerton.^[16]

On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved a plan to build an 70,000-seat football stadium on the site in anticipation of the St. Louis Rams moving back to Los Angeles (which was the team's previous home from 1946 until 1994).^[17] And on May 31, 2015, with the Inglewood mayor on hand sporting a Rams cap, the grandstand was reduced to rubble in a flurry of timed explosions.

On January 12, 2016, the NFL voted to move the Rams back to Los Angeles by a vote of 30-2, a move of the Chargers followed. In October 2016, the last part of the former track, the Casino, was demolished and a new Hollywood Park Casino was opened next door. Construction of the new stadium and redevelopment of the former track site began in earnest.

Notable events at the track[edit]

• In 1951, Citation became the first million-dollar-winning horse by winning his final start, the Hollywood Gold Cup.
• On July 3, 1977, recent Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, finished fourth in the Swaps Stakes, a major upset.
• Niatross wins the American Pacing Classic in a world record 1.52 1/5.^[18]
• Hosted the inaugural Breeders' Cup in 1984 and also hosted the event in 1987 and 1997.
• 1991 introduced Friday night racing on 12 Fridays during the summer meet.
• The Quarantine Barn, with four, six-stall sections, was constructed adjacent to the main stable gate for the 1992 Autumn Meet. This facility permits international shippers to come directly to Hollywood Park upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport.
• The 3,000-square-foot (280 m²) Noble Threewitt/Charlie Whittingham Horsemen's Lounge opened in December, 1993.
• On December 10, 1999, Laffit Pincay, Jr. surpassed Bill Shoemaker's all-time record for race wins by a jockey.
• Cesario (JPN) becomes the first Japanese-bred, Japan-based racehorse to win an American stakes race in nearly 50 years, winning the July 2005 American Oaks.
• The race course is replicated in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V.

Physical attributes[edit]

The track had a 1¹⁄₈-mile (1.8 km) dirt oval, plus a 1-mile 145 foot (1.654 km) turf oval. The track regularly seated 10,000 people. A new Cushion Track racing surface was installed in September, 2006 to replace the existing dirt, making Hollywood Park the first track in California to meet the California Horse Racing Board's guideline that all tracks in the state replace dirt surfaces with a safer artificial surface by the end of 2007.

Racing[edit]

These races were the graded stakes races run at Hollywood Park. (All turf stakes listed below were put on hiatus during the 2005 Autumn Meet.)

Grade 1 :

Grade 2 :

Grade 3 :

Ungraded stakes :

See also[edit]

• Hollywood Park Casino, casino formerly part of the racetrack, still in operation in new facilities
• Bob Benoit (horse racing), general manager beginning in 1977

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcFast, Erik. 'Hollywood Park Casino's Grand Opening Oct. 21'. Card Player (October 21, 2016).
2. ^ ^abMazza, Sandy (August 9, 2016). 'Take a peek inside the new Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood before it opens'. Daily Breeze.
3. ^ ^abcHistory of Hollywood Park, Retrieved October 20, 2012.
4. ^SC Rewind: Hollywood Park, Standardbred Canada, Retrieved 11 June 2016
5. ^ ^abcdefStallings, Dianne (August 26, 2010). 'A complicated life'. Ruidoso News. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
6. ^Christine, Bill (June 29, 1989). 'Horse Racing : Get Out of Dodge: Hubbard Selling Interests in Kansas Tracks'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
7. ^ ^abChristine, Bill (February 19, 1991). 'Hubbard Looks to Track's Future : Hollywood Park: He is working 15-hour days in his new role as president to get things ready for the April 24 opener'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
8. ^Christine, Bill (February 19, 1991). 'Hubbard Looks to Track's Future : Hollywood Park: He is working 15-hour days in his new role as president to get things ready for the April 24 opener'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
9. ^Christine, Bill (November 17, 1993). 'Change for the Bettor : Hollywood Park's Hubbard Fuels Innovation'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
10. ^'The day Al Davis walked away'. espn.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
11. ^'Churchill Downs Incorporated to Sell Hollywood Park to Bay Meadows Land Company; Racing Operations to Continue at Historic Inglewood Racetrack'. businesswire.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
12. ^The Orange County Register, July 7, 2005.
13. ^'Inaugural Oak Tree At Hollywood Park Meet Will Begin Sept. 30; Zenyatta Scheduled To Return In $250,000 Lady's Secret On Oct. 2'. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
14. ^Final Race at Hollywood Park on December 22, 2013 Video on YouTube (Retrieved May 8, 2014 from the OFFICIAL Hollywood Park YouTube channel).
15. ^Vincent, Sam Farmer, Roger. 'Owner of St. Louis Rams plans to build NFL stadium in Inglewood'. latimes.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
16. ^'Architect Paul Milana on Revitalization and Revival | Hollywood Park'. www.hollywoodparklife.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
17. ^'Inglewood approves stadium plans'. ESPN. Associated Press. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
18. ^Was this the greatest of them all?, www.harnessbred.com, Retrieved 11 June 2016

External links[edit]

Located in the Inglewood neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA stands the newly renovated Hollywood Park Casino. Originally part of the Hollywood Park Racetrack complex, Hollywood Park Casino was added to the grounds in 1994, which has since been sold and shut down as of December 2013.

Currently, the land where the complex once was is undergoing major construction and one of the first completed projects is the new building for the Hollywood Park Casino, which opened in October 2016. The casino primarily functions as a card room operating under the state of California gaming laws and also includes a sports bar and grill. Other construction projects in and around Hollywood Park include a new state-of-the-art football stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, luxury hotels, new housing and a movie theatre.

Hollywood Park Casino is less than 2 miles from the iconic Forum in Inglewood, which was once home to the Los Angeles Lakers franchise and now functions as a multi-purpose indoor arena owned by the Madison Square Garden Company.

Due to its central location, the casino attracts a diverse crowd ranging from casual to serious players. Many of the patrons at this casino are often less professional and not very mindful of gaming protocol. The atmosphere of the casino tends to lean more towards that of a party than a traditional casino. DJs and other guest hosts are frequently on the card at Hollywood Park.

If you are visiting Hollywood Park Casino, expect to play alongside amateur players. While lower limit games typically feature many novice players, this is especially true at Hollywood Park. Mathematically, this makes no difference, but if you prefer to play with players who play by the book, HP may not be your first choice.

The casino floor and gaming areas are inundated with a fairly “seedy” crowd on many nights, and self awareness should be practiced. HP is not a place to be flashing and flaunting your money. If visiting, be sure to understand that many of the patrons may not be serious gamers and have potential to get out of control especially if alcohol is involved.

Casino at Hollywood Park

The gaming rules vary in the state of California, and thus one can expect some key differences at Hollywood Park Casino. For example, one will pay $1 per $100 wagered ($1 for $100 bets, $2 for $200 bets, etc.), and this means an additional fee for side and bonus bets. There are no machine games offered, however, the casino offers blackjack, pai gow poker, pai gow tiles, baccarat, three card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, pan-9, 2-way winner and party craps. There is also off-track betting, which is a continuation from the old Hollywood Park. If includes races from North America and Australia.

The casino houses 125 tables for both poker and California games, in the same way as nearby Commerce and Hawaiian Gardens, and features a massive chandelier light upon entrance, a bar area with big-screen HD TV’s, Century Bar & Grill, and a separate area for high-stakes players and celebrity tournaments.

Overall the new casino is cleaner and still contains the card games allowed under state law as its predecessor, but the layout is not ideal. Many of the TV’s are not placed in an optimal position for viewing (especially at the bar), many of the blackjack tables and other tables have lower seating to accommodate wheelchairs as opposed to the industry standard high-tables.

The casino clearly made an effort to upgrade, which in some respects they did, however, the patrons and lack of industry standard rules and layout far exceeds the aesthetics offered inside the new building.

Poker Room at Hollywood Park

The poker room at Hollywood Park is not as complete as others in the Los Angeles poker scene. There was hope that with the relaunch of the casino, that the poker room would be improved significantly. Instead, however, it was relegated to its own section and seems to have taken a total backseat to the greater operation.

Hollywood Park Casino In Inglewood California

For the most part, you will find low limit games, not exceeding $5/$5 in No Limit Texas Hold’em games, with the occasional $5/$10 game as well. If the right crowd is there on the right day, you may find an occasional $10/$20 game as well. The biggest problem with Hollywood Park is management and competition. Commerce poker room has a strong grasp on the market, and there does not appear to be any incentive for players to switch to Hollywood Park, or anywhere else.

The comp system at Hollywood Park for poker is more of a mystery than anything else. Employees will occasionally walk the poker room floor and ask to swipe players cards, but there is no definitive structure for the comps. In our experience, regardless of play, you will not have actual money or comps added to your players card. Hollywood Park does not utilize the Bravo Poker Live app, which is another one of its many shortcomings. You will need to call into the room in order to find out which games are running and/or to be placed on a waiting list.

Dining, Bar & Lounge at Hollywood Park Casino

There are not many options for dining at Hollywood Park. The first is Century Bar & Grill, which is mainly American fare with a selection of craft beer and cocktails. The casino does offer complimentary valet if you dine-in. There is also a Peet’s coffee shop within the casino, and a deli, which is stocked with fresh sandwiches and snacks to go.

Hollywood Park Racetrack And Casino

Hollywood Park also now includes a lounge area that hosts DJ’s, parties, and events. It is a semi-private area that is sectioned off directly next to the bar area.

Like most card rooms and casinos, there is also tableside dining and drink service available 24/7.

Theater Hollywood Park Casino California

Location

Hollywood Park Casino is located at the intersection of West Century Boulevard and South Prairie Avenue in Inglewood, CA. The newly constructed building (2016) is part of the city’s plan to rebrand the neighborhood of Inglewood and transform the old Hollywood Park Racetrack with a sports stadium, hotels, shops and housing.