Mardi Gras Casino is eyeing Dec. 1 for reviving its poker and pari-mutuel wagering rooms, as well as dog racing.
President Dan Adkins said this week that carpet is being installed this week in the north end of the building, which suffered the least damage from the Sept. 10 Hurricane Irma.
“And once we get the carpet down, we’re basically good to go,” he said. The second floor of the Hallandale Beach property will open soon after, he said.
The slots area, which experienced the most water damage, will open a few weeks later, Adkins said. Water entered via the roof and bounced along beams like a pinball, flooding areas sporadically.
Adkins said some of the challenges in restoration included obtaining building materials, which were in demand everywhere after Hurricane Irma. He also added that restoring such items as the lure used to coax greyhounds around the track have been difficult.
“The dog racing stuff, people don’t make that anymore,” he said. “We had to find old motors that don’t exist today, so materials of that kind have been problematic.”
Adkins added that he’s eager for the casino employees to return to work, but added that he used as many as possible to handle the restoration work.
The casino is flanked by the Casino @ Dania Beach to the north, Gulfstream Park to the south and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to the east. Adkins jokes that “when there’s a cruise ship out in the ocean, we’re surrounded by all sides.”
Although he would like for the Florida legislature to approve portability this year, allowing him to move, Adkins said he is comfortable with the profitability of Mardi Gras. He points out that the Mardi Gras’ gambling revenues are similar to Gulfstream Park, which has invested hundreds of millions in a mall and property upgrades, and are about double of Dania Beach’s, which also spent heavily on a makeover.
Mardi Gras’ building opened in 1974 as part of the Hollywood Greyhound Track. Workers ripped up the first floor and installed slots in 2006, after a state referendum and a Broward County vote brought slots to the area and the venue became known as Mardi Gras Casino.
