Oaklawn promotion challenges guests to Chick-Tac-Toe

With the thoroughbreds gone until next year, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort is bringing in some talented chickens for the summer months.

In June and July, Oaklawn will debut the Chick-Tac-Toe Chicken Challenge, giving guests the chance five days a week to play tic-tac-toe against a live chicken for prizes and up to $500 in free play. The promotion opens to the public at noon June 1.

The Chick-Tac-Toe Chicken Challenge, which has been the winner of the "Best Casino Promotion" for several years running, is new to Arkansas, but it's not the first time Hot Springs has been home to tic-tac-toe playing chickens.

According to a news release, the Boger family, which operates the Casino Chicken company, acquired their original chickens and equipment from the IQ Zoo after working there for several years and coming up under the tutelage of Bob and Marian Bailey, pioneers in training animals. Since then, the chicken challenge has been played in casinos across the globe.

Joan Botts, Oaklawn's director of marketing, told The Sentinel-Record Thursday this promotion is exciting to bring to Hot Springs.

"This is actually a promotion I did back in 2005 when I was working at a different property," she said. "When I first started talking about bringing it here, I had no idea that there was a history with Hot Springs. We're excited to have that Hot Springs tie in and we're excited to bring the chickens back."

Botts said Oaklawn has named its newest resident Ginger and she will be living on the premises in a climate-controlled trailer. She will be competing against guests in the promotions area of the gaming floor next to Player Services 10 hours a day, five days a week. The rest of the time, Ginger will possibly make promotional appearances around Hot Springs, she said.

Kelly Boger, of Fayetteville, said in the release that Hot Springs is where the tic-tac-toe playing chickens originated, "so we're coming back to where it all began. We always get a great reception wherever we go. It's not every day that you get to play tic-tac-toe with a real chicken."

Chick-Tac-Toe will be played Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. Guests must have 10 points on their Oaklawn Rewards card for their first play and can earn up to three additional plays for every 50 points earned.

Local on 05/24/2019

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