'Full-fledged casino' opens in West Memphis, levels playing field

A casino is now officially just across the bridge from Downtown Memphis.

Southland Gaming & Racing officially changed its name to “Southland new online casinos Racing" Monday, April 1. David Wolf, president and general manager of Southland, said casino operations started at 4 a.m. with customers able to play new electronic games and state-of-the-art table games.

“The name change is going to help us … from a marketing level, especially people who have never been to the area or are passing through,” Wolf said.The change comes less than five months after Arkansas voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize casinos in four counties in the state.

“With us being a full-fledged casino, that gives us an opportunity to compete on a level playing field with other Mid-South casinos like in Tunica,” Wolf said.According to Wolf, more than 40 live table games opened, offering blackjack, craps, and roulette; sports booking will come to Southland at a later date.

“We’re also offering three carnival games including three-card poker and Mississippi Stud,” Wolf said. “We’ve got these new roulette tables, called blaze tables, which no one in the Mid-South or Tunica have. They light up, and they’re a lot of fun.”

As a result of the new games, Southland has hired more than 100 employees, bringing their number of staffers to more than 900, according to Wolf.In late April or early May, Southland also plans to break ground on a $250 million expansion, which will include a 20-story hotel. It is planned to open in 2020.

Southland is confident that the additions being made now and in the future will have an economic impact on West Memphis and throughout the Memphis area.“We’re another nice amenity for Memphis, and this is going to help them as far as attracting conventions and tourism," Wolf said.