It is almost hard to believe that a whole year has passed since Calder Casino & Race Course ("Calder") broke ground on its slots facility on June 3, 2009 - especially seeing the casino in full operation now, alongside Thoroughbred racing and the Studz Poker Club, since opening in late January 2010.
The Calder team and its parent company, Churchill Downs Incorporated ("CDI"), set out on this ambitious project one year ago and delivered on time as promised, creating hundreds of new jobs in the process. Consider that at this time one year ago, the land on which the Las Vegas-style casino now sits was simply an asphalt parking lot.
With the creation of the new casino, Calder became the only slots and gaming facility at a Thoroughbred horse track in Miami-Dade County. Calder Casino and Race Course is located on a prime 220-acre site just off the Florida Turnpike and on the county line in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Calder Casino is connected and adjacent to the existing grandstand on the southwest side of the property. A longtime member of the South Florida sports and entertainment community, Calder Race Course held its first Thoroughbred races in 1971. The 2010 season started on April 25.
The casino features over 1,200 slot machines representing the best variety of games in South Florida, three restaurants and the Center Casino Bar, 70 flat screen monitors, self-service terminals for wagering on horse races, and video monitors to show live and simulcast racing - all on one smoke-free floor. The $85 million casino opened to the public for the first time on Jan. 22 and celebrated its Grand Opening on Jan. 29.
Voters had approved the referendum to allow slot machines at the three existing pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade in January 2008. The leadership teams of Calder and CDI spent a year working through the design, planning, permitting and licensing processes for the construction of the new 104,000-square foot facility.
At the June 3, 2009 groundbreaking ceremony, the City of Miami Gardens Mayor Shirley Gibson was among the dignitaries that joined Calder and CDI leaders in donning a hard hat and wielding a commemorative shovel to mark the occasion. Seven months later, the City of Miami Gardens hosted the NFL's Pro Bowl and Super Bowl events at Land Shark (now Sun Life) Stadium and welcomed the new Calder Casino - indeed a busy and historic time for our city.
Calder Casino & Race Course, located on South Florida's Miami-Dade / Broward county line, offers gaming action with over 1,200 slot machines in the brand new Calder Casino, Thoroughbred horse racing during two consecutive meets, year-round simulcasting, and live poker games in Studz Poker Club. Calder is a wholly owned property of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN). Information about Calder Casino & Race Course can be found on the Internet at www.calderracecourse.com.
