State gambling regulators today approved contracts to pave the way for an expansion of Prairie Meadows. The casino at the Altoona race track will expand to 15-hundred slot machines this fall, an addition of 256 machines. Prairie Meadows General Manager Bob Fairnella says the present slot machine casino is too crowded. Fairnella says the expanded area should be done by October 1st, helping the Altoona facility better compete with casinos in Osceola and Tama. Fairnella says there’s been a four-percent decline in gambling revenue since Osceola opened.
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