The Poarch Band Creek Indians, betting $20 million on the Panhandle off-ramp town of Gretna, were able to showcase Floridas latest gambling option Thursday: controversial head-to-head barrel racing.
Opponents claim the races are just a front so they can entice voters to allow more lucrative slot machines to be installed.
Unlike in traditional barrel racing, where a single rider at a time competes against a clock, the tribe is pitting two riders at a time against each other in neighboring fields running horses in a cloverleaf fashion around three barrels.
PCI Gaming officials believe they are the only ones offering barrel racing in such a manner in the nation.
Next up will be a poker room that is to open by Dec. 17, followed by a Jan. 31, 2012, referendum in Gadsden County to allow the Atmore, Ala.-based tribe to bring in slot machines.
Hungry for jobs and economic growth, city leaders in Gretna are all for that, wagering the future on the expansion of gaming in the form of barrel racing, the tribe's adjoining poker room and potentially slot machines -- in their front yard.
Im certain it will help the local economy, said Mayor Clarence Jackson. We looked at the models taking place in other cities, Biloxi, and Atmore, Ala.
On Tuesday, a judge refused to issue a stay that would have blocked the start of racing, allowing an administrative hearing to go forward Dec. 13-14 on its license to allow pari-mutuel wagering on barrel racing.
There are lawsuits, but we dont expect any of them to hold us up, said Jay Dorris, president and CEO of PCI Gaming Authority. Were racing today, well be racing the rest of this month, well be racing in January and were moving ahead with our plans.
Gretna received the amendment quarter horse license on Oct. 19 by the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.
The initial license was issued in 2008, but for quarter horses, in a field of eight to 10 horses, sprinting a quarter mile from a common starting gate. Hialeah Race Track is the only facility in Florida currently offering such races.
Dorris said the quarter horse option remains alive, but has been delayed due to ongoing litigation.
Critics, in a complaint to the state, claim that barrel racing is a subterfuge to allow Gretna to conduct card room operations and seek a slot machine license.
The referendum is allowed under state law in counties where a pari-mutuel facility holds a minimum number of events within a two-year period.
Hamilton County Downs, off Interstate 75 near the Georgia state line, has since made a similar application to the state to offer barrel racing as a wagering activity.
Besides ongoing lawsuits by the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders and Owners Association, which contest the state license to allow barrel racing, the tribes grand plans for Gretna -- as well as the hopes of city leaders -- depend on the slot machine referendum.
Jackson, who lobbied Gadsden County to place the slot machine referendum on the ballot, said that while there is scattered opposition to the referendum, hes primarily heard support.
He added that if the referendum fails, the city expects the poker room and race facility to still be able to expand the equestrian offerings in the community.
But he admits the city of 1,635 is banking on the facility pumping revenue and jobs into a community -- about 25 miles west of Tallahassee -- where the per capita income was $10,737 in 2010 and more than 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
This is only the tip of the iceberg as to what is coming to Gretna, but this is only a small piece, Jackson said. Im excited, but there is a lot more to come.
The race track and poker room will eventually be joined by an on-site resort, the size of which will depend upon the outcome of the referendum, along with a couple of hotels at the Interstate 10 interchange.
Dorris said the size of resort, along with any accompanying number of jobs, will depend upon offering slots.
Jackson envisions a 17-story resort.Dorris laughed at a facility being that many stories, but said the inclusion of slot machines would add 1,000 jobs to the Gretna facility that has 178 employees awaiting the poker room opening.
Poarch Creek Indian Gaming also manages three facilities in Alabama: Creek Entertainment Center in Atmore; Riverside Entertainment Center in Wetumpka; and Tallapoosa Entertainment Center in Montgomery.
Before any resort gets underway, Gretna will have to build facilities for the barrel racing.
The adjoining fields have been fenced off, yet the amenities for riders and betters are far from final.
Tents are used to cover the food concession area and paddock, while mobile offices have been put in place for the wagering windows. Workers on Thursday were also paving the entry road and completing a slab that will be the entryway sign announcing Creek Entertainment Gretna.
This is a soft opening, weve done no marketing, Dorris said.Im actually thrilled weve had people who have driven in from Georgia to watch. Its all word of mouth. Weve had a lot of locals turn out. It seems like everybody is having a good time.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com, (850) 727-0859, or (772) 215-9889.
