Delta Downs at a glance
Delta Downs is a full resort rather than a track with a few machines attached. The racing oval, the casino, the hotel and an event center share one site off Interstate 10, so a race-night visit can run from dinner through the last quarter horse sprint and end upstairs. That layout is the main draw for Houston-area visitors.
The numbers explain the scale. In July 2026 the casino counted 76,654 admissions and $14,180,414 in adjusted gross revenue, more than Evangeline Downs, Louisiana Downs and the Fair Grounds combined. The state report shows the casino has run continuously since February 13, 2002, the first of Louisiana’s four track casinos to open.
Quarter horse season and the big futurities
The 2026 American Quarter Horse meeting opened on April 24 with the $50,000 Miss Polly Classic and four Old South Derby trials. After opening weekend the track raced Wednesday through Saturday until June 20, then Thursday through Saturday. All 46 nights started at 6:15 p.m., which keeps the program out of the afternoon heat.
| 2026 stakes | Date | Purse |
|---|---|---|
| Old South Derby | May 15 | $112,225 |
| Old South Futurity | May 16 | $151,650 |
| Louisiana Laddie Futurity | May 23 | $75,000-added |
| Firecracker Futurity | July 4 | $100,000-added |
| Lee Berwick Futurity | July 18 | $200,000-added |
Closing night, Louisiana Showcase Night on July 18, packed eight stakes for Louisiana-breds around the Lee Berwick Futurity, named for the man who founded the track. Like the other 45 nights, it began at 6:15 p.m., so the stakes ran in the cooler evening hours. The horse racing schedule shows when the thoroughbred meet picks up again.
Thoroughbreds on a six-furlong oval
The thoroughbred meet fills the cooler months, from autumn into the following February. Delta Downs runs its thoroughbred races on a six-furlong oval. Stabling holds about 1,200 horses on the backstretch. A furlong is an eighth of a mile, so the oval measures three-quarters of a mile around, shorter than most major tracks.
The tight oval suits speed, and many races end in a sprint off the final turn. For bettors used to larger tracks, the pari-mutuel betting guide covers how win, exacta and pick-three pools work. Simulcast wagering on races from across the country is available at Delta Downs on most days of the year.
The Delta Downs casino floor
Because state law keeps Louisiana’s racetrack casinos to slot machines, the Delta Downs casino has no live tables. The floor holds more than 1,500 machines, with a FanDuel Sportsbook for football and basketball wagers. The track’s own 2026 description lists two restaurants and the Delta Event Center alongside the casino.
Eighteen percent of the casino’s adjusted gross revenue is taken off the top for horsemen: 15 percent to purse supplements, 2 percent to the thoroughbred breeders and 1 percent to the quarter horse breeders. That money is why Delta Downs purses are large for a small track. Visitors who gamble can set a firm budget before reaching the floor.
Hotel, events and getting there
The Delta Downs hotel has 370 rooms, with a seasonal outdoor pool, a waterslide and a fitness room. Rooms connect indoors to the casino and the restaurants. The Delta Event Center hosts shows and private functions, and the grounds include paddocks where draft horses, miniature horses and thoroughbreds can be seen from the entrance road.
From Lake Charles take Interstate 10 west to Exit 7; from Texas use Exit 4, the first exit inside Louisiana. Houston is about 140 miles west, which makes the hotel a common overnight stop. Louisiana racinos compares the four tracks, and what is a racino explains how the format works.
From farm match races to Boyd Gaming
Lee Berwick ran match races on his farm in St. Joseph, Louisiana, before moving the operation to Vinton, where the track opened in September 1973. He led it until 1997. Shawn Scott and Jinho Cho bought Delta Downs in 1999 for $10 million, and after the slot law passed, Boyd Gaming acquired it in 2001 for over $100 million.
Boyd spent more than $120 million on improvements. Hurricane Rita badly damaged the casino, hotel and track in 2005; the casino reopened partly two months later, while racing stayed dark for about six months. The track also holds a strange footnote: in 1990 a jockey hid his horse in thick fog during a race and was later convicted of fraud.