ST. LOUIS — Fairmount Park, the 99-year-old horse-racing track in Collinsville, has been sold to Chicago-based Accel Entertainment for $35 million. This deal marks a significant transformation for the historic site.
Acquisition and Investment Plans
Accel Entertainment, known for its expertise in gaming and entertainment, plans to establish a casino at Fairmount Park. CEO Andy Rubenstein announced that the casino will feature three or four restaurants, live music, and other entertainment events. A future hotel is also under consideration.
“What we’re looking to do is bring a level of entertainment to the Metro East that hasn’t been there,” said Rubenstein. “It’s really a project that we think can be transformational.”
Economic Impact
The introduction of the casino and entertainment facilities is expected to boost the local economy. Rubenstein predicts that higher purses and improved race quality will attract more visitors, creating jobs and stimulating local businesses.
The sale price includes 3.45 million shares of Accel stock, with the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, pending approvals from the Illinois Racing Board and Illinois Gaming Board.
Historical Significance and Future Prospects
Fairmount Park has long been a significant cultural landmark. Efforts will be made to preserve its historical aspects while enhancing its facilities. The new developments aim to revitalize the park, providing a modern entertainment venue that maintains its legacy.
Accel plans to invest between $85 million and $95 million in the site, including infrastructure upgrades. A temporary casino in the existing grandstand building will open in the second quarter of 2025, with a permanent site featuring 500 slot machines and 24 tables scheduled for 2027.
Conclusion
The sale and redevelopment of Fairmount Park represent a major transformation for the historic horse-racing track. With the introduction of a casino, restaurants, and live entertainment, the park is set to become a premier destination in the Metro East area. The planned investments and improvements promise a bright future for both the park and the local community.
What Fairmount’s Transformation Means for Regional Racing
The sale and planned transformation of Fairmount Park is part of a broader pattern playing out across American horse racing, where older regional tracks face difficult choices about their futures. Rising costs, changing entertainment preferences, and increased competition from online wagering have made the traditional racetrack business model challenging to sustain. For some tracks, reinvention through entertainment diversification is the most viable path forward.
For the local racing community — trainers, jockeys, grooms, and the businesses that depend on the track — the transition brings uncertainty alongside opportunity. If the new ownership maintains a racing component, even a scaled-back one, it preserves livelihoods and keeps a regional circuit option alive. If the track pivots entirely away from live racing, the ripple effects on the local horse industry could be significant.
Historical Significance of Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park’s 99-year history makes it one of the older surviving racetracks in the Midwest. Over nearly a century it has hosted thousands of racing programs and served as a proving ground for horses and jockeys who went on to compete at higher levels. The track holds a special place in the memories of generations of local fans who grew up attending races there. Whatever form its future takes, that legacy is worth acknowledging as the property enters its next chapter. Racing fans interested in the history of American tracks can explore more in our article on New York horse race track history, which traces similar stories of evolution and adaptation in the sport’s oldest venues.
