Casino news source: Sun Sentinel - http://www.sun-sentinel.com
Casino opens in Pompano
By Jon Burstein
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted April 15 2007
It was a moment Bernard Goldstein had been dreaming about for years. He stood Saturday in the heart of his company's new multimillion-dollar casino, drinking in the cacophony of sounds and the jellybean colors of hundreds of slot machines being used for the first time.
And he watched as more than 300 people, largely retirees, rushed into Pompano Park Harness Track's casino within minutes of the 10 a.m. opening.
"I still can't believe it's here," said Goldstein, chief executive officer of the track's parent company, Isle of Capri Casinos. "After 13 years of fighting for this -- to get the permission to build it -- it's really something. I probably won't really believe it for another month."
Named The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park, the track is the third of Broward County's four parimutuels to add slots after county voters decided in March 2005 to allow the gambling devices. Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach was the first to debut slots in November, followed a month later by Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming Center in Hallandale Beach.
Dania Jai-Alai will open its casino late next year.
Half of every dollar of slots revenue goes to public education. Gulfstream Park and Mardi Gras had generated almost $26.2 million for schools as of last Monday.
The Isle Casino will compete with the newly renovated Seminole Casino Coconut Creek to capture the northern Broward County and Palm Beach County markets. Just as the Seminoles have been talking about transforming the Coconut Creek casino into a gambling-entertainment complex, Isle of Capri officials have grand hopes for their property.
With more than 220 acres of land, they hope the new two-story, 157,000-square-foot casino soon will be followed by a convention center, hotels, shopping areas and possibly some housing.
"We want to really have an entertainment mecca for South Florida," said Allan Solomon, executive vice president and general counsel of Isle of Capri.
For years, Pompano Park had been the only non-casino holding of Isle of Capri, which owns or operates 15 riverboat- and land-based casinos. Goldstein bought Pompano Park because he believed one day gambling would be legal in Florida.
Isle of Capri was one of the leaders of the slots movement in Broward County, donating about $5 million to pro-slots groups since 2000.
Almost 1,400 people poured through the casino's front doors within an hour of its opening, said Jill Haynes, an Isle of Capri spokesperson. One of the casino's two functioning restaurants, a New York-style deli, had an hour wait by early afternoon. The casino's second floor will be unveiled next month, bringing the restaurant choices to four -- the deli, a buffet, a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant.
Gamblers said Saturday that location is one of the casino's big draws. Of eight slot players interviewed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, none lived south of the casino. The majority came from Palm Beach County or Pompano Beach.
"I hit a big [jackpot] right away -- $20 on a five-cent machine," said Glenda Wilkinson, 68, of Pompano Beach. "I live seven minutes from this place. This is going to be bad for me."
Jon Burstein can be reached at jburstein@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4491.
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