Southland Park is one of two pari-mutuel facilities in AR. The other is Oaklawn Racing and Gaming in historic Hot Springs. Oaklawn hosts the prestigious Arkansas Derby; a precursor to the Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown. After years of dwindling attendance, Southland Park began its resurgence in 2011 after severe flooding hampered operations in the neighboring casinos in Tunica. A $38 million expansion and renovation in 2014 helped Southland continue its popularity momentum and its now one of the most visited attractions in the state.

Needless to say, I've become a bit out of touch over the years to the goings-on in the Natural State. I never knew much about Southland Park or greyhound racing. I knew the state legislature had finally authorized slot machines and some table games before I left my last military assignment in Little Rock, but I was not prepared for what I saw as I entered the northwest entrance to the casino. I was already somewhat in shock at the sheer number of cars and people circling the parking lot to find a space to park. Surely dog racing wasn't that popular and slot machines are... well, slot machines. No reason to line up to play those, right? I gave the security guard a nod as I entered the building and within seconds was immediately overcome by people, machines, noise, lights. It was a regular circus of controlled chaos! I didn't see an empty slot machine in sight as I made my way through the venue. It was like a futuristic sci-fi flick with every kind of character in shape, size, description, and manner of dress playing the machines or talking to those doing so; think the "cantina scene" from Star Wars (1977). I was now "officially" in shock!

After a quick "time-out" in the form of a restroom break, a brief chat with the hostess at Sammy Hagar's Red Rocker Bar & Grill, and getting a baseball update via the numerous large television monitors, I had regained my senses and reworked my game plan. Southland Park is large, but easily navigable and the signage is very good. The facility has over 1,700 electronic games of skill, including video poker and blackjack, a 6-table poker room and a small table games pit. As most of you know, I'm not a slots guy but part of the draw of Southland's slots may be that they allegedly have a "skill" element involved. After seeing the results of your first spin, players are given the option to hold any combination or even none of the displayed symbols; then spin a second time to try to improve the results. This seems kind of like video poker, but without a formal basic strategy.