MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. --
For the last 39 years, the Calder Race Course has been all about the horse racing, but soon guests will be able to try their luck at slot machines and poker.
On Wednesday morning, Calder broke ground on its new $85 million, 104,000 square-foot casino. It will offer 1,225 slot machines, poker and three restaurants.
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Last year, voters approved a measure to allow gaming at existing dog and horse tracks and jai-alai frontons.
Calder's Miami Gardens location is very close to the county line separating Miami-Dade and Broward, giving easy access to residents of both counties.
Calder officials said the aggressive construction schedule will allow them to hopefully have the casino up and running by January 2010 -- just in time for the Super Bowl at neighboring Land Shark stadium.
Once completed, the new casino could create as many as 300 new jobs.
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