OWENSBORO, Ky. — A new entertainment venue opens this week in Owensboro.

Owensboro Racing & Gaming is a 20-acre site on the corner of U.S. Highway 60 and Wrights Landing Road. Opening day is set for Wednesday, Feb. 12. The venue offers hundreds of historical racing machines and several food and beverage options.

Steve Roof is the general manager and said the investment totaled to $100 million.

Roof said, “This facility is about 71,500 square feet. So we can fit a lot of people in here.”

The new facility is expected to have a regional annual economic impact of $125 million. Throughout its building process, the facility has brought 200 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs to Owensboro.

Roof said, “So lots of jobs that we’ve brought over the past year.”

The facility offers both smoking and non-smoking areas. There are approximately 350 machines in the non-smoking section and 250 in the smoking area.

Roof said, “Our HVAC system will push in clean air and pull out smokey air. This will also be negatively pressurized, so the clean air from the non-smoking can come in here, but the smoky air cannot go out to the non-gaming room.”

Of the 600 machines, several will have jackpots over six figures.

Roof said, “Several jackpots all ready to be won by somebody.”

The venue also has a mural made up of every Kentucky Derby logo. Appropriate since Churchill Downs Incorporated owns the facility and the historical gambling machines will feature past Derby races.

Roof said, “You’ll have your first Kentucky Derby. You’ll have any Kentucky Derby you’re looking for: 121, 149, whatever it is.”

The property will operate as an annex of Ellis Park and support purse funding for the track’s summer meet in Henderson, Kentucky.