After a decade of steady growth, Delaware North’s Southland Casino Racing in 2019 began construction of a $250 million expansion featuring a new gaming complex and high-rise hotel.
Since then, while the pandemic may have slowed the construction project down a bit, the casino in West Memphis, Ark., is continuing to garner awards and recognition and work within health and safety protocols to add features such as the Betly sportsbook that reopened in September and a new slot attraction called Cashman’s Cove.
A significant amount of work has been completed on the new gaming complex and hotel, with construction moving forward at a controlled pace since March. The construction timetable has been adjusted such that completion is now anticipated sometime in 2022.
Meanwhile, Southland added 26 slot machines to create the new Cashman’s Cove in the previous Market Square room. The action-packed gaming center features themed games with the Mr. Cashman bonus rounds.
“We’re very excited to bring the only Cashman Cove area to the Mid-South,” said David Wolf, general manager of Southland Casino Racing. “We’ve designed this exclusive area on the casino floor dedicated to some of the most popular slot games from Aristocrat’s Mr. Cashman line, and our guests are delighted.”
Southland accepted its third Best of Memphis award from the Memphis Flyer on Oct. 30 in a drive-thru event that recognized the greatest people, places and things in the Bluff City. Southland won the 2020 Best of Memphis Award in the casino category, the third consecutive year it has won that award.
In the September issue of Casino Player magazine, Southland was recognized as the Best Casino in the Tunica and surrounding region, taking home 11 first-place awards, seven second-place awards and three third-place awards – a total of 21 awards in the magazine’s 2020 Best of Gaming competition.
Southland finished first this year for Best Casino, Favorite Casino to Vacation At, Best Hosts (two years in a row), Best Comps, Best Promotions (two years in a row), Best Table Games, Best High-Limit Room, Casino Where You Feel Luckiest (two years in a row), Best Video Slots (two years in a row), Best Craps (two years in a row) and Best Sportsbook Promotions. All awards are based on the magazine’s readers poll.
“These awards are a credit to our associates, who are dedicated to making Southland a top regional gaming destination and help our patrons have a great experience even as we work through the challenges of the pandemic,” Wolf said.