Published on: August 20, 2025, at 08:15h.
Updated on: August 20, 2025, at 08:15h.
- Phil Ruffin is launching a casino in Kansas.
- This venue will feature slot-like historical horse racing terminals.
- The casino is named after country music icon Mickey Gilley, who originated Gilley’s honky-tonk.
Billionaire Phil Ruffin is introducing the renowned Gilley’s honky-tonk brand to Park City, Kansas, located just north of Wichita.
Gilley’s Casino Park City is set to debut on December 15, over two years post the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission’s approval for Ruffin to transform the long-closed Wichita Greyhound Park, which has been inactive since October 2007, into a hotel and casino featuring slot-like historical horse racing machines (HHRs).
Legislation permitting HHR terminals was approved by Kansas lawmakers in 2022, which also facilitated mobile sports betting at the state’s four commercial and tribal casinos. This law created a solitary HHR license for the Wichita region.
Ruffin, who purchased the vacant 82-acre Wichita Greyhound Park property from Sedgwick County in 2018 for $1.6 million, was the only bidder for the HHR opportunity after Boyd Gaming’s proposal was dismissed. Boyd was disqualified since they operate the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, located south of Wichita.
Opening of Gilley’s
Ruffin’s proposal to the state included a comprehensive redevelopment of the current building at the Wichita Greyhound Park into an HHR gaming operation. Initial phases comprise a public park along with designated bus and RV parking.
Future development phases, expected to exceed $100 million, will incorporate a 98-room hotel, an outdoor amphitheater, and a dance hall and saloon. Initially, Ruffin envisioned naming the destination the Golden Circle, but he subsequently chose to rebrand it as Gilley’s.
The original Gilley’s Club opened in Pasadena, Texas, co-founded by country music legend Mickey Gilley. This massive venue was dubbed the “world’s biggest honky-tonk.” Its fame skyrocketed after its appearance in John Travolta’s 1980 film, Urban Cowboy.
The film rejuvenated Gilley’s career, with his rendition of “Stand by Me” in the movie climbing to the top of the U.S. Country chart.
“I have been a long-time personal friend of Mickey Gilley and his family since the early ‘90s, which inspired me to bring the Gilley’s experience to Las Vegas,” Ruffin stated. “And now, collaborating with his wife, Cindy Gilley, I’m excited to share this iconic brand in Park City, Kansas — destined to become the premier entertainment hub in the area.”
Ruffin secured the rights to use the Gilley’s name and introduced the honky-tonk at his New Frontier Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in 1998. Upon acquiring Treasure Island in 2009, he integrated Gilley’s into that location as well.
Details on Gilley’s Casino
Phase one of Gilley’s Casino Kansas will feature a gaming floor with around 1,000 HHR machines. These machines mimic the look, sound, and gameplay of traditional Las Vegas slots, but their outcomes are based on results from past horse races.
Raised in Wichita, Ruffin has expressed that operating a casino in his home state has been a lifelong aspiration. He began his career by establishing self-serve gas stations in Kansas, expanding to over 60 locations by the early 1980s.
He later utilized profits to launch his first hotel—the Marriott Wichita. Subsequently, he diversified into oil distribution and became one of the leading manufacturers of hand trucks in the nation.
Ruffin’s inaugural casino endeavor took place in the Bahamas. After selling the Crystal Palace resort, he reinvested his earnings to acquire the New Frontier and later, Treasure Island. A close associate of President Donald Trump, Ruffin holds a 50% stake in the non-gaming Trump International Hotel on the Strip.
Now at 90 years of age, Ruffin is fulfilling his vision of managing a casino in Wichita.