The venue opened in 1959, as the Scioto Downs track, and became Ohio's first racino with the addition of video lottery terminals (VLTs) on June 1, 2012.

In May 2013 Scioto Downs started a live outdoor summer music concert series with national acts, primarily in country, rock and blues genres.

In addition to horse racing, Scioto Downs also hosted the annual Ohio High School Athletic Association state cross country running championships, which were generally held in late October or early November, from 1985 to 2010.

[5] The meet included Division I, II, and III races for both girls and boys, featuring 950 competitors from 96 teams, and attracted around 10,000 spectators.

[5] With the introduction of VLT machines to Scioto Downs (a move shared by other Ohio racetracks) the OHSAA, which is opposed to live gambling, announced that from the 2011 meet the OHSAA championships would move from Scioto to the National Trail Raceway.