Magna Entertainment Gets Approval To Build California Track

Dixon Downs To Be First Racetrack Built In California Since WWII

The Dixon (CA) City Council approved Magna Entertainment Corp.’s Dixon Downs racetrack last night “after six years of proposals, negotiations and deliberations,” according to Erika Chavez of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Magna first proposed a $250M, 260-acre racetrack near Interstate 80 in ’00. The centerpiece of the project is a 1-1/8 mile track with a grandstand pavilion that would hold up to 6,800 people for racing events and as many as 15,000 for concerts and other events. The track will be the first major horse racing facility built in California since World War II (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/24).

LOUISIANA DOWNS: In Shreveport, Bill Gann reported Harrah’s Louisiana Downs ended its 93-day ’06 meet Saturday with total wagering of $192,391,182, a 6% increase over the $180,677,462 bet during the 91-day ’05 meet. Average daily handle of $2,068,722 was up 4% from the $1,985,417 average last year. On-track handle was down 3%, from $421,606 per day in ’05 to $407,480 this year. The track “does not charge admission, [so] it’s impossible to accurately gauge just how many folks came to the races” this year. However, there were a “few times when the attendance seemed so sparse that one could have discharged a cannon on the first floor and not hit anybody.” But there also were days “when one couldn’t take a single step without bumping into a fellow reveller” (SHREVEPORT TIMES, 10/22).