Miami Valley Gaming Racino Receives $100 Million Expansion

• Miami Valley Gaming racino has been around since 2013.
• The casino is making expansions for a full casino and room for a new sportsbook.
• Construction for the new expansion is expected to begin in early 2020.

LEBANON, Ohio – On Tuesday, the Warren County commissioners approved a $100 million expansion for Miami Valley Gaming racino.

The Expansion Plans

Miami Valley Gaming has been around since 2013 and they received approval for their first major expansion. The full cost of the expansion is around $100 million for the racino.

There are three key construction projects in this expansion, as a 12,000 square-foot gambling expansion, a 1,000 parking space garage, and a 7,500 square-foot restaurant expansion is all expected. The new gaming space will allow for new options for visitors.

“Sports wagering is the next thing we’re looking at,” said Domenic Mancini, president and GM of Miami Valley Gaming.

Offering Something New

Legal sports betting is something that the Miami Valley Gaming wants to offer with this new expansion. At the moment, sports betting is not currently legal. However, many states around Ohio have legalized sports wagering.

Lawmakers are noticing that people from Ohio are leaving the state to wager on sports. State lawmakers will want to keep that money in Ohio, so sports betting could be on the horizon.

A new sportsbook is not all that Miami Valley Gaming is looking towards.

The racino currently does not offer too much in the way of legal gambling. Miami Valley Gaming currently has live harness racing and slot machines in the racino. The racino now wants to offer full casino gambling as well.

But there is currently a limit on what Miami Valley Gaming can offer. Legally, the racino is not allowed to offer table games right now. To offer a full range of casino games, a constitutional amendment is required. A constitutional amendment often requires a statewide vote for approval.

But Mancini said that he “think(s) that will happen.”

Next year is an election year meaning everyone will be going to voting booths in the state. If Ohio lawmakers want to expand gambling by allowing racinos to have table games and approving sports betting, 2020 is the year to do so.

Despite neither being approved right now, Mancini will continue with the $100 million expansion. Construction for the racino is expected to begin in either January or February of 2020.