Phil Ruffin’s Gilley’s Gambling Hall in Kansas Readies Opening

Posted on: December 12, 2025, 10:14h. 

Last updated on: December 12, 2025, 10:36h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Gilley’s in Kansas opens on December 15
  • Phil Ruffin is bringing the honky-tonk brand to Park City
  • Gilley’s replaces the former Wichita Greyhound Park

The redeveloped Wichita Greyhound Park will open as Gilley’s next week.

Gilley's Kansas Phil Ruffin
The Gilley’s Girls are ready to lead line dances and pour drinks at Gilley’s in Kansas. The Park City gambling and entertainment venue from billionaire Phil Ruffin is set to open on Dec. 15, 2025. (Image: Gilley’s)

Amid flagging interest in greyhound racing, Wichita Greyhound Park held its final dog race on Oct. 6, 2007. Kansas native Phil Ruffin, who owned the track during its closure and unsuccessfully fought for slot machines to save the facility and its employees, announced a redevelopment of the property soon after Kansas lawmakers approved slot-like historical horse racing (HHR) machines in 2022.

The casino billionaire, who owns Circus Circus and Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip, will open Gilley’s Park City on Monday, December 15, at 6 pm.

“It’s gonna blow your mind,” Ruffin told The Wichita Eagle. “Everybody’s going to be surprised at what we did at the track. It’s something even Vegas hasn’t seen yet. It would compete very effectively on the Strip.”

Gilley’s combines gambling with family fun. Along with the Gambling Hall’s 1,000 parimutuel-based HHR gaming machines, Gilley’s has an arcade, golf simulators, and a bowling alley.

For older guests, there’s a dance hall with live music, a sports bar, a parimutuel wagering racebook with simulcast racing, and a cocktail lounge.

Gilley’s Brand 

The original Gilley’s Club, cofounded by country music singer Mickey Gilley, opened in 1970 in Pasadena, Texas.

Known as the “world’s biggest honky-tonk,” the popular club revived Gilley’s career, with the saloon’s mechanical bull portrayed in the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy” starring John Travolta. Gilley’s cover of “Stand by Me” on the movie’s soundtrack reached the top spot on the US country chart in 1980.

Ruffin befriended Gilley in the early 1990s. Ruffin brought Gilley’s to Las Vegas in 1998 when he opened the Gilley’s Saloon at his New Frontier Hotel Casino. Ruffin opened a Gilley’s at Treasure Island after buying the Strip property in 2009, which remains in operation.

Gilley died of complications from bone cancer in 2022 at the age of 86. Ruffin, 90, is carrying on his legacy.

I have been a personal friend of Mickey Gilley and family since the early 1990s, and it led me to bring the Gilley’s experience to Las Vegas. Now, with his wife, Cindy Gilley, leading the company, I’m bringing the iconic brand to Park City, Kansas, guaranteed to be the best entertainment destination in the region,” Ruffin said.

Gilley’s Park City is located off the Interstate 135 77th Street exit north of Wichita.

Gaming Competition 

While Ruffin’s Gilley’s won’t be able to house Vegas-like slot machines or live-dealer table games, a neighboring business can. Just steps south of Gilley’s is the CrossWinds Casino, a small gaming room owned and operated by the Wyandotte Nation.

Being a federally recognized tribe holding a Class III gaming compact with the state, CrossWinds can offer traditional casino slot machines. While CrossWinds doesn’t currently offer table games, the tribe could bring in felt should it seek to limit Gilley’s poaching of its gaming business.