About
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel in Vernon, N.Y. features live horse racing, a racino offering over 200 games to play and a hotel.
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel also includes self bet terminals for all of their thoroughbred and harness racing fans as well as offering the latest in lottery scratch off machines.
Harness racing made its debut at Vernon Downs Casino Hotel over a revolutionary six-furlong (7/8th mile) oval on July 1, 1953. The track featured 24 barns each with 24 stalls and beautiful natural backdrop with hills and sprawling countryside.
Over the years, Vernon Downs Casino Hotel has been host to some of the biggest stars of the sport including Adios Harry, Niatross and Moni Maker. After the track suffered through financial hardships and shut down in 2004, New York City businessman and harness racing enthusiast Jeff Gural purchased Vernon Downs out of bankruptcy in 2006, bringing a new, prosperous era of racing to Central New York. Also the owner of Tioga Downs as well as The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., Gural was a driving force to bring VLTs to New York racetracks and also put himself at the forefront of the lobby to bring online sports betting to the Empire State.
The facility offers some of the hottest games around, including in-house progressives and video poker. They range from 1¢ to $5 in denomination. Among the popular games on site are several variations of 88 Fortunes and Wheel of Fortune, Triple Double Diamond and Lock It Link.
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel also provides a 100 percent smoke-free hotel with spacious guest rooms and suite accommodations, with many facing the historic Vernon Downs race track for panoramic views. The hotel is within walking distance of both the casino and the racetrack.
There is complimentary WiFi throughout the property and each hotel room includes a flat screen television, an in-room coffee maker, microwave and refrigerator. Complimentary continental breakfast, an indoor heated pool and whirlpool and a fitness center are all part of the guest experience. The hotel also features a spacious ballroom and meeting areas to hold weddings and conventions.
There are seven different dining options between the casino, hotel and racetrack – The Kitchen, Triple 777 Café, Mr. G’s Food & Spirits and Ring Eyed Pete’s Sports Bar. At the track, enjoy the Miracle Mile Restaurant, Trackside Concessions and Gold Cup Buffet.
Licence
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel is licenced by the Schenectady-based New York State Gaming Commission.
Major Horse Betting Events at the Venue
The Zweig Memorial, a stakes race for three-year-old colt and filly trotters, is the marquee event of the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel live harness racing schedule. The race features separate open and filly divisions.
As well, the track plays host to the Empire Breeders Classic for three-year-old trotters, offering a purse of $500,000.
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel also offers racing in all divisions of the New York Sires Stakes for New York-bred two and three-year-old colt and filly pacers and trotters. They also serve as the host track to all eight Excelsior Finals for the series.
From April to November, Vernon Downs Casino Hotel features some of the finest live harness racing in the area. There is also simulcast thoroughbred and harness racing from around North America offered for wagering purposes. Vernon Downs Casino Hotel includes two separate simulcast facilities for race wagering purposes. The new Simulcast Room is located just off the hotel lobby and features three giant “movie like” screens with the most popular tracks. There are 27 individual carrels and 11 private tables, all with LCD TVs. Cocktail and food service is also provided, with total seating for 75 and it’s all self bet and teller ready.
Bet Types Allowed
Types of wagers offered at Vernon Downs Casino Hotel include win (horse to finish first), place (horse to finish first or second), show (horse to finish first, second, or third), across the board (full wagering on a horse to finish in first, second or third. A $2 across the board wager would cost a bettor $6).
Exotic bets include exacta (picking two horses to finish first and second in that order), trifecta (picking three horses to finish first, second and third in that order), the daily double (picking the winners of two successive designated races), pick three (correctly selecting the winners of three successive designated races), pick four (correctly selecting the winners of four successive designated races) and pick five (correctly selecting the winners of five successive designated races).
Horses can be boxed or wheeled in any type of exotic wagering. When boxing horses, a bettor is enabling a ticket to cash as a winner no matter the order of finish of the horses that are part of the box. In the case of wheeling, one horse is keyed in a specific order of finish and the remaining horses in the bet are wheeled around that horse.
While using more horses on a ticket will increase the chances of winning, the cost of that ticket increases based on the number of combinations it is covering. For instance, a $1 trifecta box with three horses would cost $6.
Mobile Betting App
Vernon Downs Casino Hotel does not offer a mobile app.
Promotions
The Vernon Rewards Club is free to join. As a member, players can become eligible to receive rewards such as invitations to special VIP concerts, as well as invitations to tournaments and parties.
Every time players use their Vernon Rewards card while playing a video gaming machine they earn points. Every dollar played is worth one point. There are four cub levels with Vernon Rewards – plus, preferred, premier and elite. New members of the Vernon Rewards Club are welcomed by having their first day of losses covered up to a maximum of $100.
Each day, there are different gaming promotions offered at Vernon Downs Casino Hotel. These include points multipliers, seniors day, hot seats and more. Through their gaming promotions, they are not only offering a chance to win big money, but players could also win a TV, computer, even a brand new car.
There are also regular promotions relating to the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel’s racing product. These can be viewed directly on the web page of the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel.
