New Ellis Park Extension Going Into the Former Owensboro, Kentucky JC Penney Location

If you're an Owensboroan--and you don't even have to be a longtime resident--you've likely wondered what, if anything, will happen with Towne Square Mall. With rumors abounding, it was anybody's guess. But the guesswork has concluded in a very big way.

ELLIS PARK OFF-TRACK BETTING IN OWENSBORO

Last fall, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission piqued our excitement with its approval of Ellis Park's request to create an off-track betting site in Owensboro.

On Tuesday, March 1st (fittingly, the beginning of college hoops March Madness--but it can apply here, too, says me), Ellis Entertainment laid out the details about Ellis Park Owensboro--specifically, where it will be located and what we can expect.

ELLIS PARK OWENSBORO -- IT'S MORE THAN JUST OFF-TRACK BETTING

In early 2023--the time of the venue's anticipated opening--the former JC Penney location at the north end of Towne Square Mall will be transformed into Ellis Park Owensboro.

Guests will enjoy a huge selection of historical racing machines--or HRMs--simulcast betting, a viewing area, and a new race-and-sports-themed bar and grill. For those not familiar with the term or the device, a historical racing machine is very much like a slot machine. However, UNLIKE a slot machine, the outcomes are not random. Players using HRMs are betting on previously run races. Essentially, according to KnowYourSlots.com, it's parimutuel betting accomplished via the familiarity of a slot machine. Here's an explanation of how they work:

ELLIS PARK OWENSBORO -- MORE THAN JUST GREAT ENTERTAINMENT

In addition to the entertainment value Ellis Entertainment will be bringing to town, the new extension will ALSO bring about 200 new and good-paying jobs to Owensboro--this according to Ellis Entertainment General Manager Jeffrey Inman from a press release issued by the company.

Inman expects Ellis Park Owensboro to add roughly "6 to 8 million dollars in purse money to improve the racing at Ellis Park."

SOUTH FREDERICA

A number of us have written stories on this website about south Frederica--about what's going out and what's coming in--and a number of YOU have commented about not wanting to see that stretch go by the wayside.

Let's hope an exciting new venue like Ellis Park Owensboro will breathe that desired life back into that part of town.