Troubled Times Ahead for Land-Based Casinos and Racetracks
Over two-thirds of the global population now have access to the internet. The ever-increasing number of internet-connected people means more people have access to ways of gambling online. A fresh influx of gamblers should correlate to more people attending land-based casinos and racetracks.
Casino Cosmopol Gothenburg closed earlier this year. There is now only one licensed casino in Sweden, which is thought to be on borrowed time. ©Svenska Spel
Not so! In many parts of the world, casinos and racetracks are closing at an alarming rate. Live casinos and racecourses could soon become a thing of the past in some nations, territories and states. Join us as we look at recent closures and the venues that may have the shutters permanently pulled down on them.
Is Sweden’s Last Casino on Borrowed Time?
Swedish live casino goers are amongst the worst affected by closures. Its citizens may soon have to head to a neighbouring country to place chips on a roulette or blackjack layout. The cull began in 2020 when the loss-making Casino Cosmopol, Sundsvall, closed. Housed in the refurbished old central railway station, built in 1874, it was voted Europe’s best casino in 2012.
The stunning Casino Cosmopol in Sundsvall, Sweden – closed in 2020. pic.twitter.com/puAmJ68JX2
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) June 4, 2024
A lack of profitability was also cited for the casinos in Malmo and Gothenburg being shuttered in February 2024. Both had been in operation for more than 20 years. The construction of a new poker room in 2019 and a new restaurant, lounge and bar area in 2020 failed to turn things around for the loss-making Gothenburg venue.
The latest press reports now suggest the last of the country’s legally operated casinos, situated in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, could be closed by January 1, 2026. The warning follows a government proposal to discontinue the state-owned casino operation, with profitability again highlighted as the reason.
The Last Race Run on Tracks Everywhere
In North America, Golden Gate Fields staged its final meeting on June 9. In the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco, the racetrack closed a decade after another Californian track, Hollywood Park, raced for the final time. After that venue was demolished, the SoFi Stadium was built on the land.
Racetracks for thoroughbreds and standardbreds (harness racers) have been closing rapidly in America. Since 2000, 38 tracks have been closed across the country. They include Atlantic City in 2015, Bay Meadows (2008), Sportsman’s Park (2002), and Maywood Park (2015). All had been racing for more than 50 years.
Greyhound racing in many US states has been banned – most notably Florida, which once had 21 operational tracks. The hare last ran on the final ten of these tracks in 2020. However, due to loss-making, tracks across the country have closed at a remarkable rate during the past 25 years.
2022’s closure of Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis and Iowa’s Dubuque Greyhound Park means that just two dog tracks – Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras, in West Virginia – are still racing. Mexico’s only greyhound track, Agua Caliente in Tijuana, closed permanently in mid-July 2024. Its racers were re-homed north of the border.
Far East Loses Two Racetracks
In the Far East, “plummeting wagering turnover” was the reason given for the closure of Macau’s racetrack in March 2024. The venue first raced in 1980 and, at its peak, was one of the largest private employers in the former Portuguese colony, with around 1,400 employees and around 1,100 part-timers.
Macau Jockey Club raced for the final time on March 30th, 2024. Its stables could accommodate 1,270 horses. pic.twitter.com/eGk13iEEZF
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@CDCHistory) June 12, 2024
A failure to recover from the effects of the Covid pandemic was a contributory factor in Macau’s rapid downward spiral. It has also been cited as one reason why Kranji Racecourse in Singapore will close forever on October 5, 2024. It will bring an end to horse racing in the island country and city-state after 182 years.
“There have been a number of factors behind racing’s demise in the city, with the Singapore Turf Club confirming ‘attendance at the racecourse has been declining over the past decade’, while turnover has been shrinking amid competition for dollars since the opening of two casinos in 2010,” wrote the Singapore Standard at the start of 2024.
