Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course

The casino at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley

The Hollywood Gaming casino and racetrack is located near Austintown, just a 10-minute drive from Youngstown. The gambling venue covers around 25,000 square feet and hosts over 1,000 VLTs. The video lottery terminals make up the bulk of the gambling options. The venue does not offer live table games or a poker room.

Initially, the entire facility was a nonsmoking area, but after completing a renovation in 2018, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley introduced an outdoor gambling patio where patrons can smoke.

Regular casino visitors can access benefits via the mychoice rewards program. Anyone can join for free and collect points to advance through the program’s tiers. Based on their program level, patrons can collect bonus cash, discounts, cruises, vacations, and so on.

Slot machines

Slot machines (technically, video lottery terminals) occupy most of the casino floor. In addition to some all-time classics, the casino regularly introduces new gambling options and updates its library.

Betting limits are variable, allowing inexperienced and seasoned players to try their luck at various games. You can wager between $0.01 and $25 per spin. Here are some of the current favorites at the Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley:

• Legend of the Phoenix by IGT — This three-reel game carries 25 paylines packed with rewarding features. You can activate three free spins on any level, triggering large prizes. The game also offers three levels of multipliers — red, green, and blue — that can multiply your winnings 2x, 5x or 10x, respectively.
• Dancing Drums by SG Digital — The Asian-themed slot offers distinct features and prizes. The bets start at $0.88, a nod to the Chinese tradition of regarding 88 as a lucky number. The five-by-three grid boasts 243 ways to win, free spins and the Fu Fly feature, and Fu Babies jackpot.
• Triple Double Stars by IGT — This five-reel slot offers a betting range from $0.01 to $10 and progressive free spins that automatically reactivate. By combining 2x and 3x symbols, you’ll get a chance to trigger larger wins.

Apart from exciting and unpredictable slots, you could also try your luck on one of the keno terminals.

Table games

According to Ohio law, racinos like Hollywood Gaming can only offer VLT-style games, such as video slots, and keno. The law prohibits them from offering live tables and poker rooms. Therefore, you won’t encounter any live blackjack, baccarat, or roulette options at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley.

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley poker room

Currently, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley doesn’t feature a poker room, and for it to do so in the future would require a change to Ohio gambling law.

mychoice rewards program

Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley is one of dozens of Penn National gambling venues that offer the mychoice rewards program. The free-to-join system is tier-based, allowing members to climb up the ladder and unlock various perks. Collect points by playing slots or wagering on horse racing. Here’s a rundown of the tiers:

• Choice — 0 to 999 points
• Advantage — 1,000 to 17,999 points
• Preferred — 18,000 to 49,999 points
• Elite — 50,000 to 199,999 points
• Owners Club — 200,000+ points

Members of the rewards program will receive access to various perks, such as discounts for dining and accommodations, cash prizes, comp points, invites to special events, vacations and cruises, and so on.

Will Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley operate a sportsbook?

State lawmakers have legalized sports betting in Ohio by signing HB 29 into law toward the end of 2021. Sports betting is set to debut in Ohio no later than Jan. 1, 2023, and all of the state’s casinos and racinos figure to be part of the launch. With Penn National’s unmistakable sports betting pedigree – it owns and operates Barstool Sportsbook – the racino near Austintown should be a sportsbook location quite soon.

History and ownership of Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley

Mahoning Valley Race Course was built to replace the Beulah Park racetrack, the first thoroughbred racetrack in the Buckeye State. Beulah Park opened in 1923 and hosted races like the Glacial Princess Stakes and the Scarlet and Gray Handicap.

In 2013, Penn National, the owner of Beulah Park, announced its plans to transfer the track’s license to a new facility in Austintown, a suburb of Youngstown.

Construction of the Mahoning Valley Race Course began in May 2013. The $125 million venue opened in September 2014, featuring a one-mile dirt course and an adjacent Hollywood Gaming racino with over 1,000 gambling terminals. Horse races began in November 2014.

Since then, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley has gone through quite a few expansions. In 2015, the venue introduced an additional 250 VLTs through a floor expansion. It would later add an outdoor smoking patio with gambling machines and then expand that area as well as the rest of the racino floor.