Churchill Downs Incorporated Announces the Reopening of Rivers Casino Des Plaines

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced the reopening of Rivers Des Plaines (“Rivers”) in Des Plaines, Illinois, the Company’s joint venture with Rush Street Gaming on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Rivers will have a dedicated “Rivers Clean Team,” newly installed protective plexiglass throughout the casino and has implemented new health and safety procedures established by the Illinois Gaming Board.  

The Rivers Clean initiative reinforces hand washing, social distancing and required face coverings for all team members and guests. Sanitization stations and social distancing markers are installed throughout the property.

Additional cleaning and safety protocols adopted at Rivers include:

• Training and PPE materials provided to team members,
  
  
• EPA-approved disinfectants and additional commercial cleaning equipment,
  
  
• Extensive sanitization of games and gaming pieces,
  
  
• Gaming floor and table game seating modifications to facilitate social distancing, and
  
  
• Food and beverage adjustments that include limited menus and the continued closing of buffets.

The BetRivers Sportsbook, bar and lounge areas reopened with limited and socially-distant seating. Rivers was the first casino in Illinois to open its online and mobile sportsbook, BetRivers.com, providing bettors the ability to place wagers using their own mobile device while at Rivers or at home.

About Churchill Downs Incorporated

Churchill Downs Incorporated is an industry-leading racing, online wagering and gaming entertainment company anchored by our iconic flagship event, the Kentucky Derby. We own and operate Derby City Gaming, a historical racing machine facility in Louisville, Kentucky. We also own and operate the largest online horse racing wagering platform in the U.S., TwinSpires.com, and we operate sports betting and iGaming through our BetAmerica platform in multiple states. We are also a leader in brick-and-mortar casino gaming with approximately 11,000 slot machines and video lottery terminals and 200 table games in eight states. Additional information about CDI can be found online at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com. 

About Rush Street Gaming

Founded by Neil Bluhm and Greg Carlin, Rush Street Gaming and its affiliates, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, have developed and operate successful casinos in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Des Plaines, Illinois (Chicago area) and Schenectady, New York. Rush Street Gaming and its affiliates have become one of the leading casino developers in the United States and operators of online casinos and sportsbooks. Additional information at: www.rushstreetgaming.com

Certain statements made in this news release contain various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words or similar expressions (or negative versions of such words or expressions). 

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the following: the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related economic matters on our results of operations, financial conditions and prospects; the effect of economic conditions on our consumers' confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business or any deterioration in our reputation; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations; online security risk, including cyber-security breaches; inability to recover under our insurance policies for damages sustained at our properties in the event of inclement weather and casualty events; increases in insurance costs and inability to obtain similar insurance coverage in the future; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; costs and uncertainties relating to the development of new venues and expansion of existing facilities; risks associated with equity investments, strategic alliances and other third-party agreements; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; payment-related risks, such as risk associated with fraudulent credit card and debit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; risks related to pending or future legal proceedings and other actions; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; work stoppages and labor issues; changes in consumer preferences, attendance, wagering and sponsorship with respect to Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Kentucky Derby; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; weather and other conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; the occurrence of extraordinary events, such as terrorist attacks and public health threats; changes in the regulatory environment of our racing operations; increased competition in the horse racing business; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horse races; our inability to utilize and provide totalizator services; changes in regulatory environment of our online horse wagering business; A reduction in the number of people wagering on live horse races; increase in competition in our online horse racing wagering business; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our online horse racing wagering business; continued legalization of online sports betting and iGaming in the United States and our ability to predict and capitalize on any such legalization; inability to expand our sports betting operations and effectively compete; failure to manage risks associated with sports betting; failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment with respect to our mobile and online wagering products; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; and inability to collect gaming receivables from the customers to whom we extend credit.

We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.