Fairmount Park Casino & Racing in Collinsville is upping the stakes this spring, rolling out live table games that bring blackjack, roulette and a slate of novelty titles onto the racino floor. The new lineup is part of a roughly $3 million build-out that the operator says will create about 35 jobs in the Metro East. The live-dealer pit sits inside the racetrack’s temporary casino footprint and is intended to spark more evening activity around the track’s live racing dates.
Table games, cost and jobs
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, the roughly $3 million expansion carved out a compact pit for live games and is expected to add about 35 positions at the Collinsville property. The Business Journal reports that the new mix features multiple blackjack tables, roulette and novelty dealer games, including Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em and I Luv Suits, giving table-game regulars a familiar spread in a smaller-footprint racino.
Operator says games will boost racing
In a press release, Accel Entertainment said Fairmount “reached a major milestone” with the debut of live table games, listing blackjack, roulette and other live dealer offerings among the new additions. Accel said revenue from the new gaming positions is being reinvested in the racing product, noting that the company boosted Fairmount’s 2026 purses by $500,000 to draw larger fields and more competitive cards. “We promised our patrons a full-scale gaming and entertainment destination, and we’re beginning to deliver on that promise,” Fairmount General Manager Vince Gabbert said in the release.
State approval and the racino milestone
The Illinois Gaming Board formalized Fairmount’s license as the state’s first racino and noted that the facility began casino operations in April 2025, according to an IGB meeting release. The board also reported that licensing and gaming position fees tied to the new site were deposited into the Rebuild Illinois fund as part of the broader rollout of new casinos authorized under the state’s 2019 expansion law.
What this means for the Metro East
The table-games launch is a targeted first phase of a larger redevelopment that Accel outlined when it acquired Fairmount in 2024, signaling multi-million-dollar capital plans for the track and casino, as detailed in the acquisition announcement on Nasdaq. Fairmount’s website and hiring page list open positions and event schedules as the track leans into live racing, simulcast wagering and expanded food and beverage offerings alongside the new gaming options…