[4/17/04]An offtrack betting business in Mound has closed because it wasn’t doing the business it once had, a spokesman for its former parent company said.

Winner’s Circle, 2791 Louisiana 602, was closed by the company that owned it, Boyd Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas, said Rob Stillwell, the company’s vice president of corporate communications.

The facility, which had about 10,000 square feet, closed April 5, Stillwell said.

The building has been sold and will be used for a business, said the real estate agent who handled the transaction, Eddie Elledge of Elledge Real Estate of Richmond, La.

“It’s going to be something nice,” he said.

The facility allowed customers to bet on horse-racing “simulcast” by television from several racetracks, both in Louisiana and elsewhere. It began in the 1980s, before the 1993 advent of riverboat gambling in Mississippi brought more gaming options to the area, Stillwell said.

“There are so many different gaming choices in and around the area,” he said. Mound is within 15 miles of four newer gambling facilities, Vicksburg’s four casinos, and video poker and the Louisiana Lottery tickets are available at numerous outlets near the former betting parlor.

Winner’s Circle was acquired by Boyd Gaming as part of a 2001 deal to acquire the Delta Downs racetrack in Vinton, La., along Interstate 10 in southwestern Louisiana, Stillwell said.

Boyd Gaming owns 13 gaming properties in six states, including the Sam’s Town casino in Tunica. It will continue to operate in two locations in Louisiana, including Delta Downs, and plans to open a third facility in the state soon, Stillwell said.