BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The machines are ready, tables are being set, and the wraps are ready to come off a new gaming hall in Bowling Green.
The Mint Gaming Hall is set to open Wednesday.
“Machines are getting spruced up and ready to go, making sure that everything is getting cleaned,” said John Wholihan, Director of Marketing for Kentucky Downs.
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The gaming hall is located in the old H.H. Gregg Building in the Greenwood Marketplace Shopping Center off of Scottsville Road.
In July, Kentucky Downs’ owners filed a building permit calling for a $6.2M renovation of the building, which sat vacant since 2017.
Now, the former appliance and electronics store will be home to more than 1,000 machines, along with the Corner Cafe’ and a sports bar.
“The big thing is that we’re offering some different games that are not available at the Kentucky Downs property in Franklin, so we’re very excited about that.”
The historical horse race machines were first introduced in the 1990s and have become a huge draw and a big source of income for racetrackers.
Mint Gaming Bowling Green will feature about 450 of the HHR machines, which will allow guests to gamble on actual past races selected randomly.
The gaming hall will also include the popular “Wheel of Fortune” machine and other quick-hit machines.
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While the machines are ready, there are still parts of the hall that are not open yet.
The Post-Time Race and Sports Lounge will open after the new year. Wholihan says it’ll be a space to watch big games like the upcoming NFL playoffs.
While the hall will be lit up with bright machines, sounds of games being played, and maybe a few shouts from winners, Wholihan says the gaming hall will be focused on more than just making money.
The goal: invest in Bowling Green and provide more than 150 local jobs.
“There’s a lot of opportunities here and we want to take advantage of that,” Wholihan said. “We’re doing some good things even before we’ve opened so that’s been a big part.”
The Mint Gaming Hall Bowling Green will hold its soft opening this Wednesday at 4 p.m.
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